


Remnant of a Worm

by HalfMasked



Series: Remnant of a Worm [1]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Betaed, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Developing Friendships, Deviates From Canon, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, For Worm, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Minor Character Death, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 169,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28683078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfMasked/pseuds/HalfMasked
Summary: Post-GM Taylor in Remnant. Taylor Hebert; villain, hero, monster, savior, Khepri. She awakens in a hospital in Vale. Where was she? What would she do? Who would she be? A villain once more? Another monster? Or maybe, a hero, in the ways she had always wanted to be?
Series: Remnant of a Worm [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143272
Comments: 35
Kudos: 93





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Massive spoilers for all of Worm, eventual spoilers for RWBY as well.
> 
> Expect friendship and fluff offset with suffering, because I like high highs and low lows.
> 
> Content Warning: Violence, swearing, dark thoughts, PTSD, panic attacks, a smidge of character death (very little of that though).
> 
> Very slow burn for canon divergence. I want any changes to canon to be because of Taylor's actions and their logical consequences. This won't be a retelling of RWBY with Taylor there. By Volume 2 of RWBY, canon is completely off the rails. That said, Volume 2 doesn't start till Chapter 18 of this fic, 160k words in. Some stuff happens the same as in canon, but in different contexts or through different methods, but I do my best not to rehash canon when I can.
> 
> For Worm Readers: I highly recommend finishing Worm before reading this, otherwise, you’ll be fine. I brief summary would be that RWBY is about a world in which monsters called Grimm ravage the world. The story focuses on four girls going to a school to learn to be Huntsmen; people who battle the Grimm.
> 
> For RWBY Watchers:Worm is a web serial about an introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower. Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life, but her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. Risking life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons. Her story leads her down the path of a villain who helps people, to a hero using people to prepare for an apocalypse, to becoming a monster sacrificing her body and mind, to save the world.

* * *

_Ruby Rose_

_I’m going to Beacon._

_I’m going to Beacon!_

_…Oh my god, I’m going to Beacon._

My skipping down the sidewalk slowed as I really let the thought sink in.

 _I won’t have any of my friends from Signal with me… I won’t know_ anyone _there at all! I’ll be two years younger than the other first-years!_

I dragged my fingers down my face and began to hop back and forth on my feet in panic.

_Okay, okay. Calm down. At least there’ll be, uh, weapons! I’ll get to see a lot of cool weapons! And I’ll be able to show off Crescent Rose! Bam, perfect conversation starter. And then I’ll talk about… something? Oh, why is talking to people so hard?!_

_Oh, wait, Yang._

I let out a heavy sigh. I wouldn’t have to be alone. 

_Yang will be there. I… I'll just be on her team. Yeah. That way, I won’t make an idiot of myself trying to talk to anyone. Whew, that would've been stressful._

An alert buzzed on my scroll, a warning that the last Bullhead back to Patch would be leaving soon. Beating up bad guys and talking with _the_ Ozpin had taken up most of my evening. 

I couldn’t wait to get back home, grab some milk to wash down that plate of cookies, and go to bed. It had been a very long day. 

I hoped Dad hadn’t told Yang what happened, like I’d asked. She’d make me stay up all night recapping everything, and I’d had too much excitement today already. I had fought a bunch of robbers, met not one, but _two_ Huntsmen, and I had been accepted into Beacon! 

A glint of something caught my eye from an alleyway across the street: a street lamp reflecting off a red puddle on the asphalt.

_Did someone spill juice?_

My eyes trailed the crimson fluid from the sidewalk and down the alley until I saw its source.

_Is… is that?_

A woman was lying face down in a pool of blood. 

The world stopped.

 _Oh no_ — _What do I do? Is she_ —

Questions flashed through my mind, too many for me to grasp. 

I didn’t notice I was getting closer until I was already next to the prone figure. 

Cracked and broken armor plating were set over an equally ripped and battered bodysuit. A mask that looked almost bug-like covered her face, but one of the broken lenses revealed a red trail trickling over a closed eye. A knife poked from her utility belt.

_Is she some kind of Huntress? Did someone kill a Huntress?!_

Blood caked the white armor and hid in the black of her bodysuit, but most of it pooled on the ground around her head, soaking her dark wavy hair. She had a strange metal backpack that looked dented and partially crushed. Her right arm just… ended, right below the elbow. In its place was angry scar tissue. The sleeve looked like it had been burned away, despite the wound looking old.

I was torn from my thoughts when I noticed a slight, shallow movement. I shot to my feet when her chest weakly rose and fell.

_She’s alive!_

My fingers fumbled with my scroll as I tried to call an ambulance, but my hands were shaking so badly that I kept missing the buttons. 

_Stupid fingers! Stop! You have to help this person!_

Finally, after the third try, I succeeded.

“Vale emergency hotline, please state your emergency,” an obliging female voice stated.

“Help! T-there’s a woman. She’s—she’s bleeding! I…” I stole a quick breath. “I-I think she’s a Huntress!”

“Calm down, miss. I’m sending an emergency team to your scroll’s location now. Is there anyone else in the area? Are you safe?”

“I-I should be safe—I mean, I’m trying to be a Huntress so I’m fine. I was just—just walking down the street, and I-I saw her lying there.”

“You’re a Huntress in training? Signal or Beacon? Actually, nevermind. What’s your name, miss?”

“R-Ruby. Ruby Rose.”

“Alright, Ruby. Can you check her Aura levels to see how depleted they are? It’ll help the first responders get an estimate on how to start treatment.”

Without replying, I looked for an opening in the woman’s armor, someplace where the skin was visible. None of the burn marks or scrapes opened up to the skin. I grew more frantic the longer I searched. Ultimately, I found myself staring at the woman’s missing limb. It was either that or her blood-stained eye.

_Here we go._

I tried to steel myself, but my breath was too short and I was anxiously sweaty.

I placed a hand on the maimed stub and pushed my Aura out, expecting to feel the weak pressure of a near-exhausted Aura supply. Instead, I couldn’t find even a single hint of Aura protecting her body.

_Is her Aura so drained that I can’t even sense it?_

I pushed deeper, trying to find something. Anything. 

Anything that could possibly help this person. 

Suddenly, I felt my prodding Aura slapped away. To my shock, the blow came from deep within her, too far in for an unlocked Aura.

_Wait, she’s not a Huntress? Why is she wearing all this gear, then?_

“…ss…Mis… Miss Rose… Ruby! Are you still there?! Please respond!”

The noise jolted me from my stupor, making me fumble the scroll and almost drop it.

“Um—Yes! Yes, I’m still here. Sorry!”

“Please stay on the line, miss. Have you checked her Aura levels?”

“Y-yes! I… I don’t think she’s had her Aura activated yet.” I froze, dread forming in the pit of my stomach from the realization. “I don’t know how to unlock someone else’s Aura!”

That was it. 

This woman was going to die. 

Without any Aura to help stabilize her, I knew she wasn’t going to make it. 

She was going to die in this alley, all because I couldn’t do anything.

Tears poured down my cheeks, leaving ripples in the pool of blood I knelt in. I sobbed, wracked by helplessness, chest heaving. 

“Miss Rose, please. I… I’m going to try to walk you through the process. It might not work, but we’re going to try, alright? You think you can do that for me, Ruby?” The responder’s voice was comforting.

I sniffed, wiping my face with my sleeve, only to do so again as my vision immediately blurred, new tears forming.

_If there’s a chance, I have to try._

“O-okay. What do I d-do?”

“The chant is to help calm and initiate the unlocking of someone’s Aura. It tells her soul what to do. What you have to do is show that person’s Aura how to act. So, I need you to push your Aura out into the woman and shape it within her, just like you normally would for yourself. You'll feel tired afterward, but that's completely normal. Understand?”

“Uh, yes? I think so.”

“Repeat after me.”

“For it is in passing that we achieve immortality,” I repeated as the operator spoke the words. “Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all.” My Aura flared and I wrapped it around the woman. With each word, I pushed more and more. “Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.” Finally, I felt the woman’s Aura press against mine.

_Please work. Please be okay._

I pushed harder.

The woman’s Aura didn’t push back, it _shoved_. Goosebumps spread across my skin like I had been doused in cold water. Instead of driving my Aura out, the woman’s Aura cut at mine like a wave of knives. 

Still, I pushed on, making sure that the cutting Aura surrounded her body as it ruthlessly tried to force mine out.

Then, I felt another surge in the sea of the woman’s soul. A cold spark that burst into a blaze as soon as my Aura touched it. But the fire was freezing cold and it grasped toward me—

I didn’t feel anything else as the dam broke, and the woman’s Aura cascaded throughout her body, completely driving me out.

A ragged breath escaped me, just as the fatigue hit me like one of Yang’s haymakers.

I watched the woman’s chest rise, more evenly and steadily than before. The dull shine of gray Aura pulsed dimly before radiating out from her still form. It gleamed like it was trying to light up the world around her.

“She… she seems to be doing better. I-I think it worked,” I said, my voice raw.

“That’s good, Miss Rose. Glad to hear it. Authorities should be reaching you within a couple of minutes. Just stay on the phone with me.”

I leaned back and rested against the stone brickwork behind me. It wasn’t comfy, but I was too exhausted to care.

The woman was doing better, but each moment of silence made my dread grow, settling in my chest like a stomach ache.

Sweet relief washed over me, taking my panic with it, as sirens sounded off in the distance, getting louder with each moment.

I hiccuped a few times, my sobs trailing off, and formed a shaky smile.

_I did it._

* * *

After giving a short statement to the police, I watched the injured woman disappear behind closed ambulance doors, the faint glow of Aura still surrounding her. I huddled under the emergency blanket that the first responders had left me, drained and exhausted. 

“You certainly seem to get into some interesting situations, Miss Rose,” a familiar voice said in an almost amused tone.

I turned to see Professor Ozpin for the second time that night, with the same mug in hand, wafts of steam from the hot drink licking the air. 

Professor Goodwitch stood beside him with crossed arms, a riding crop clenched in her hand. It wasn’t the coolest weapon… at all, but seeing her use Dust had been super awesome. Just remembering it distracted me from the leftover panic of what had just happened.

My awkward wave was sluggish, but moving too much made me feel queasy. My body was still recovering from the spike of adrenaline and exhaustion from awakening her Aura.

“Yeah, it's certainly been… a night. Heh.” My voice died out near the end, and I pulled the blanket tighter around me. I had never actually seen someone hurt like that before, and my mind couldn’t stop going back to the image of the woman lying in a pool of her own blood. “Um… what brings you here, Professor?”

“I was alerted to the possibility of a fatally injured Huntress, in the middle of the city no less. When I saw your name on the report, I took it as all the more reason to come by.” His expression shifted to concern. “Are you okay, Ruby?” 

I smiled. After an experience like this, it was nice to have someone care enough to worry about you.

 _I wonder if_ she _has anyone worrying about her._

I drew a deep breath and released it in a long sigh. “I’m…okay? I haven’t seen… _that_ before. Not up-close. I know that being a Huntress means that I might have to deal with that but… I didn’t expect it to be so…” Again, my voice died on me. My mind flashed to the woman lying there. Her blood pooling, breath ragged and uneven, closer to death with each passing second. Not knowing what would happen. Not knowing if I could help.

“Yes. It is an unfortunate reality, one that all Huntsmen experience at some point.” He closed his eyes, a solemn look on his face, before giving me an approving nod. “But you did as a Huntress would do, Ruby. There is no question in my mind that you saved that woman’s life. I have been told that she would have stood no chance of survival if not for you. So, remember this night. Though your path may be difficult, it is worth it, for all of those you will save.” I met his eyes, and saw unflinching honesty.

He was right, I had saved someone. 

“Thank you, Professor. That helps a lot, actually.” I did save someone, just like a Huntress would have. I couldn’t help but grin.

_Mom would have been proud. And Dad and Yang too, of course…_

Dad and Yang.

“Ohh crap!” I brought out my scroll and saw some messages from Dad, asking where I was and when I would be home. The clock told me that the last Bullhead for Patch had left a while ago, so not anytime soon. I was stuck in Vale for the night. “Ughhhhhhh. What am I going to do!?”

“If you’re unable to make your way home, we can prepare one of the dorm rooms at Beacon for you,” Ozpin offered, nodding to Professor Goodwitch, who typed out a message on her scroll. “A glimpse of where you will be sleeping in two weeks, if you pass the initiation.”

“Thank you, that would be great! I’ll call my Dad and let him know! I appreciate it, Professor Ozpin.”

“It is no trouble, Ruby. Now come, we mustn’t keep the ship waiting. I believe all of us have had a rather long day.” Ozpin turned and began walking back to a ship that had parked down the street.

“Miss Rose, I don’t think I will need to remind you that even though the semester hasn’t begun, you will need to follow _all_ of Beacon’s rules for the duration of your stay, understood?” Professor Goodwitch stated, sounding more like a command than a question.

“Um, yes, of course, Professor.” I gave her the best salute I could, but it only made her glare, like I was already in trouble.

“Come along.” She sighed, and we headed off to Beacon.

* * *

_Ozpin_

Glynda and I arrived at the hospital early the next morning after sending Miss Rose on her way. She had wanted to come along as well, but her father had called and requested she return home to explain what had happened in person. I knew that she would be able to come another day to see the mysterious girl, given that her reported injuries would, without question, mean an extended stay at the hospital.

“What can you tell me about this young woman, Noah?” I asked. A young woman almost murdered in the middle of the city, no less. A disturbing incident, especially considering the execution-like nature of the attempt. 

Something wasn’t right, and I hoped Noah might provide answers as to what that could be.

The nameplate on his desk glinted copper in the light as the doctor leaned back in his chair.

“I was honestly hoping you would be able to tell me _something_ about your Jane Doe, Ozpin.” Noah had the voice of someone three times his size and it echoed throughout his small office. “Criminals don’t usually leave their victims like that, so that the public doesn’t get antsy and bring the Grimm. Did they get interrupted?”

“I believe we are both looking for answers in this case,” I replied.

“Do you have reason to believe she is a criminal, Dr. Sard?” Glynda asked from the seat next to mine.

“Two shots to the back of the head are my only clue,” Noah responded grimly, his frown morphing his reddish-brown beard. “Though, I’d guess she was Huntress or a mercenary due to her scarring.”

“Scarring?”

Noah opened a folder on his desk and flipped through it. “Scar tissue on over ten percent of her body, from small cuts all the way to a large laceration across the right side of her ribs. Contusions everywhere. Old and recent. There’s a plethora of old damage that shows she’s had a history of healed injuries. I would guess she’s been in a lot of fights.” 

Glynda and I both frowned; Noah didn’t seem close to stopping. 

“Her right arm is missing from right above the elbow. It had been cauterized from how it looks. I don’t know how, but there’s a bit of metal almost infused into the bone of her acromion. Must have gotten stabbed in the shoulder by… something and the bone healed around it.” The woman must have lived a sad life, to have weathered this many injuries without Aura. 

Noah passed over an x-ray photo of the girl’s shoulder; a sliver of dark sat in the middle of the white bone.

“Thoughts?” I asked Glynda.

“If it had just been shrapnel left in, I could guess the cause, but grafted into the bone? That suggests a specific Semblance. Some kind of metal manipulation? I’ll look into it,” she stated, making a note on her Scroll.

Noah nodded. “There is a faint scar that seems to just peek out from her hairline. The location and the precision of the cut suggests surgery, but we found no evidence of it. Unless someone was cutting her head open and just stopped. Damn, it's a lot when you say it all in a row. Well, almost all of it.” Worry and disbelief bit at his tone toward the end as he plucked out another paper.

It was unsettling, certainly. Glynda sported a stern expression, different from her usual one—it was similar to the one she wore for battle. That she’d get this angry over something like this happening to a complete stranger was one of the reasons I was glad to be working with her. I could only imagine her fury if it had been one of our students. 

Regardless, if the woman survived, I hoped she would not let her terrible experiences define her. I had seen so many lose themselves to the darkness in their past. It was always painful to watch. And painful to experience.

“And the gunshot wounds?” Glynda inquired, her tone matching the look on her face.

“The bullets seem to have gone straight through. The damage is extensive, but if I’m being honest, this girl must have luck like no other because everything that could have gone wrong hasn’t.” My brow rose. “No signs of infection or immediate damage to her central nervous system. We did find a rather concerning tumor which, amazingly, took the most damage. Sadly inoperable, but it doesn’t seem to be pressing against her brain in any worrying way. As I said, if she pulls through, point her toward a casino.” Noah’s lips lifted slightly but didn’t stay. I was glad for the splash of light in this dark conversation; it was why I liked Noah.

“Any brain damage?”

“Besides her previous injuries—”

“Previous?”

“Scarring around the parietal lobe, possibly from a concussion. Old. Maybe some language problems, maybe spatial awareness issues, maybe a dullness of touch and pain. We won’t know until she wakes up… If she wakes up.”

Glynda closed her eyes and took a slow breath, centered herself, then snapped back to the issue at hand, ready and stern.

“This new round of damages... Could be memory loss, motor function loss, or a whole host of other possible complications.” He looked and sounded tired. It certainly was a lot to process. Then again, the bags under his eyes suggested that he might have been here overnight caring for the mysterious woman.

“You were not able to find any Scroll or other identification for the woman?” I asked.

“No I.D. of any kind. There was a handgun, taser, folding baton, and a fancy black knife. No labels or brand marks. She was also wearing some kind of hi-tech backpack, but it's too damaged to figure out its function. No Dust, no Scroll, no Lien, nothing that would help. Her belt might have held something but all the pouches either have holes or are empty. Might have been scavenged from before or after she was shot. No matching missing person, no matching criminal picture, no emblem, nothing that we could find,” Noah read off another list.

_Nothing at all? It seems things can never be simple._

“That is an impressive amount of weaponry for someone without their Aura unlocked,” Glynda stated.

“Yup, and not only that, she was wearing this weird flexible bodysuit. Extremely tough. Custom-fit. Took us using bolt cutters to pry it off her,” Noah said.

“Any idea what it is made of or who manufactured it?”

“No clue. It didn’t have any kind of tag or serial number. Never seen something like that before. It was durable but light like silk. The thing has been through hell though; any identification might have been lost or destroyed.”

“And her weapons?” Glynda asked.

“Bog-standard. Low caliber and not fitted for Dust rounds. Nothing that would work against Grimm. I don’t even think the weapon shops carry such kiddy weapons anymore.”

 _Though they would work against regular humans or possibly someone unskilled with Aura._

I kept the thought to myself. 

Customized armor with special material suggested a backer, but why spend the money to make such a suit and not unlock their Aura? Unless the attacker could re-seal Aura with their Semblance? I hadn’t come across such an ability in all my years. Something wasn’t right about this whole situation.

_Now, what to do?_

Glynda gave me a perplexed look behind a screen of professionalism. She didn’t seem to have an idea about why this woman would be in her situation either.

“Hmmm. Well, thank you very much for everything, Noah. Please keep me updated on the young woman’s condition. I would be most interested in hearing her story.” I stood from my chair and moved to shake Noah’s hand across his desk, my other hand still resting on my cane.

“Any time, Ozpin, I’m glad someone like you is taking an interest in this. I hate having to leave someone who's gone through something like this all on their own,” Noah stated, taking my hand with a strong grip.

“Thank you again, Dr. Sard,” Glynda said politely.

“Until next time, Miss Goodwitch.”

We exited the hospital in silence, neither speaking until we got in our car to head back to the Bullheads leading to Beacon.

“That was a very harsh case, if I may say so,” I stated without looking at Glynda.

“I agree. I can’t imagine what that girl has gone through. I’m especially worried about the gunshot wounds. Some kind of execution? What kind of gang or criminal organization would need to do that to someone without Aura? Especially with how young she seemed,” Glynda added, her fingers curling tighter around the steering wheel.

“I am unsure if it was gang-related. I think that we would have noticed some kind of organization executing civilians in such a fashion. Also, the equipment she had on her… There are too many questions that feel like they would lead further from the truth in this instance.” It was always frustrating not knowing, not being able to help. I had taken strides throughout the many years I had been alive to avoid this uneasy ignorance, yet I found myself in it once again. “I think I’ll send a message to James, perhaps Atlas has some information regarding her, or an idea on the armor the girl was wearing. Or rather, young woman, she did seem around the age of our first years,” I mused out loud.

“Ozpin, are you implying that you are going to enroll this girl at—”

“No. Nothing of the sort. We don’t know what kind of person she is, her capabilities, or what her history regarding this incident was. Though, despite their quality, the amount of weapons she carried implies some level of proficiency or an overcompensation for lack of skill. Her custom armor leads me to think the former rather than the latter. 

“Regardless, I feel her story might be important to know in understanding if there’s a threat that caused her current state. I hope to intervene or prevent anything similar if this isn’t an isolated incident. Especially since it happened in the middle of the city.” 

“This is all dependent on if she wakes up at all.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will Glynda. I have a feeling she’s not the type to give in so easily.”

* * *

_Khepri?_

_Pain. Everything pain._

_Awake._

_Alive?_

Alive.

**Chapter 1 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Hopefullylesspretentious, Joesalot, Breakingamber, Fwee, ccstat, Majigah, and Resonans2357 for making this pretty!
> 
> First fic, now re-edited. Doesn’t mean it’s good, just less rough now. First time posting on AO3... the formatting process is... aggravating. I hope the dividers are fine, especially between the perspective switches.
> 
> Praise be to my betas. Juff, ccstat, Breakingamber, and Majigah have been through every chapter of this, and I can't thank them enough. An extra thank you and apology to Juff, who has probably gone over this fic like six+ times already. Juff is too good for this world.
> 
> I'm notoriously bad for answering comments and such, so sorry in advance.


	2. Lost Lamb

* * *

_Khepri?_  


Couldn’t move. 

Pain, throbbing pain.

A shape passed by. Blurry. Enemy? 

Within my range of control. Part of my swarm.

Senses reached out.

Nothing.

No control. No swarm. No safety.

_Have to get away. Somewhere safe. Until ready to fight back again._

The blurry figure made noise.

A threat? Didn’t understand.

The figure moved closer.

_Had to get away. Run. Run or attack!_

Nothing.

Body wouldn’t respond.

Wouldn’t move.

No swarm. Only pain.

And sleep. Wanted sleep...

Couldn’t sleep. Figure got closer.

Beeping around me. Other voices. Couldn’t see who.

Distracting. Had to focus. Had to be ready to fight.

A light from the limb of the figure. Shining into my eyes.

An attack?

No. Weak. Stinging. Annoying.

Closed my eyes to block it.

Shouldn’t have. Can’t open them.

Too hurt. Too tired.

But couldn’t fall asleep… Needed to…

* * *

Dark. Could barely make out the room.

Sparse. Bland ceiling tiles. Didn’t like them, couldn’t remember why.

No one was around. Just the annoying beeping. Alone. Safe?

I tried to move. Muscles hurt, seized up and sore. Couldn’t get up. Couldn’t move.

Enemies? No one around.

 _Fight_.

Fight? Who? Where?

Head hurt. Vision cloudy. 

Pain. Throbbing, stinging, consuming.

Hurts worse than my body. Except for my arm. That throbbed too.

Was I safe? From the strangers? Wait. Not strangers. They were enemies. Weren’t they?

Couldn’t remember. Fuzzy. Hurts.

_Need to look around. Can’t move. Use swarm._

No swarm.

Panic. Trying to panic. Body wouldn’t respond.

Felt something. Too tired. An extension of me? Elsewhere. Not me, but also me. Part of me? Couldn’t remember.

So tired…

* * *

Room was orange now, coming in from the glass. Glass? No… window.

Sunrise? Sunset?

Didn’t know. Only beeping. Still annoying, but distracted from the pain.

Less pain than before, but still there. Always there. Everyone was ready to inflict pain—no. Somewhere safe. People around didn’t attack. They came in, made noises, watched, but didn’t hurt.

Something else was beside me now. Big and red. Plant things, couldn’t remember the name.

Paper beside plant things. Things on it. Words? Only saw blurs.

Did friends leave them? Friends? Who?

Blonde… green eyes… freckles… She cared, even at the end.

Dogs… friend… don’t show teeth… Loyal. No matter what I did, she would be there.

Wait.

No, they wouldn’t.

I controlled them. Weapons. Slaves.

Didn’t I?

So many in swarm. Only numbers and tools. Soldiers. No names. Friends too?

Yes… friends too.

That… hurt. Not like pain in my head or arm or muscles.

Pain like fire, like weight, like guilt.

Why? When? Who?

Against the enemy. Everyone an enemy?

No, the golden man.

 _Scion_.

I remembered the name. Why that name? It wasn’t the important one to remember.

He’s gone now. It’s over. Did what had to be done.

Regret?

No… yes?

Regret. Not for him. For everything else.

How did it happen?

Trapped on a bed by my own body.

Remember running.

Stars. So big. So small.

Two shots.

I waited for them.

To bring my end.

Darkness…

My eyes closed and—

* * *

“Oo, oowur ahak. Oww urr oo eeying?” the enemy said to me.

The noises out of my mouth were like hers.

Flowers beside me. Who put them there?

Green eyes? Dad? Dogs?

Person left after making more noises.

They were simply waiting, to betray or kill me.

I moved aching limbs. Sore. Hard to move, like through water, but I could move.

Safe? Didn’t know.

People should be after me for what I did. Hat Lady was supposed to have stopped me.

Need to get away. Somewhere alone.

Prepare, in case of enemies. They would be coming. There were always enemies.

Heal enough until I could bring this world to heel. 

I traced the two spots on my forehead. Twin contradictions to the fact I was alive.

They were supposed to be the last of it. The last of the fighting.

A buzz flew by me. Like before.

Reached out, took hold.

It would slip away after a while. They always did.

More joined my army. Little sparks that gave me their touch and sounds. Sight too blurry, just like my own.

Weapons downstairs in a locker. Clothes in other lockers.

Would rest until then...

* * *

It was time.

Darkness shrouded the room, curtains blocking the windows.

It might have been the same day, but I wasn’t sure.

Sounds from other people in the building. Quiet breathing, asleep. Slight murmurs, needed to avoid.

Took the card by the flowers. Couldn’t read. I’d bring it for later. Could only feel the letters, their angles and curves, but they didn’t mean anything to me. Frustration and fear for… something. Something I liked. Vision was still blurry unless up-close. Glasses. I had forgotten I needed glasses. 

Jittery, restless, wanted to move, but stiff and uncooperative.

Floor was cold on my bare feet as I slipped out of the room. My swarm spread out, marking anyone still awake.

Some people were making rounds around the rooms. They opened the door, and if the person inside made slumbering breaths, they moved on.

Didn’t matter, the way to my weapons was clear.

I was cold, my thin gown breathing the chill in.

Empty halls, cold floor, sleeping enemies.

Crouching low, I dashed down the hall and snaked down a stairwell. Two floors down, I entered another hallway.

The room with my weapons was locked, though the door had a window.

I grabbed a bundle of gowns from a nearby laundry hamper, padded them around my elbow, and struck the window.

The glass shattered, and I reached in and unlocked the door. Some residents stirred from the sound.

Like a trap ready to spring, I waited to see if one of the enemies would make their approach.

Most rolled over and returned to rest.

It was a room of metal shelves and plastic bins, all labeled but unreadable. I let my gown fall around me and grabbed a random set of clothes. Pants from one bin, a blouse from another, and sneakers that hugged my feet too tightly.

_At least I was warm now._

Bugs found my weapons in a locked metal container. A keycode was required.

I braced myself to smash the keypad with a sharp kick.

Then the glow came. Not a bad glow; it soothed the pain and made it easier to move. When I was awake, it kept the darkness away... too many times to remember, too often to forget.

My heel came down on the keypad, and the metal crumpled beneath it.

_That’s not right…_

I tugged my foot out and looked into the hole.

The glow was _very_ good, a new weapon.

I collected my things from the now open box. Smashing the metal had made the people stir.

My tattered utility belt went under a hoodie that was slightly too big for me. Costume would take too long to put on, needed to leave. The mask could be useful to hide my face though.

Flight pack was gone. Knife, gun, spare magazine, baton. All of my weapons were accounted for but nothing else. Probably all destroyed when—

I blinked, and the world went gold.

Heat, blood, death, but no screams. There weren’t any unless I allowed them.

Simple focuses kept me rooted through fire and death.

But the only focus I needed was my subjects, my goal, my enemies, and my power.

My passenger and I—us—we—one—

I was back in the hospital room. Panting. Heart hammering. Alone.

Not for long. People were coming.

They came up in a rising mechanical box, so I rushed down the stairs.

_Just need to sneak by people at desk and—_

My swarm vanished from my senses. Their streams of sensations that ran through my mind pulled away from me, like a receding tide. No matter how hard I grabbed and reached, it flowed around my fingers and away.

_No no no! Why?!_

Enemies could sneak up on me now, couldn’t map out the area, couldn’t fight properly.

_Run._

I moved in a sprint, the glow surging forth and adding to my speed.

The door at the bottom of the stairs opened up into a lobby. As soon as I burst into the room, two people in white clothes spotted me.

They waved their hands in front of them and spoke more unintelligible threats.

I was gilded in the glow, my new weapon too unpractised for anything but escape.

Hands tried to grab at me, but I slapped them away. Even I could tell their grunts were ones of pain.

Their shouts faded as the night air passed by me.

No direction, only _away_.

Needed to prepare. Heal.

Buildings flew by as I bolted down empty streets.

Explosions of sounds and touch barraged me as my control returned. Insects moved to scout my path.

Things on street corners. Cameras. Had to avoid.

The air froze my burning lungs.

Legs hurt from the exertion. Adrenaline dying down.

Couldn’t rest. Escape.

Sky was lit with stars, still blurry. Moon looked like a long smudge, almost like it was scattered across the sky.

Numb throbbing tingles spiked from the soles of my feet with every running step.

It hurt, but had to get away.

From enemies. So many enemies. In beds and houses. Sleeping. Waiting to attack.

Killing them now would only draw attention, too many to safely end without notice. Swarm wasn’t back yet.

I would prepare and be ready for the right time.

Eventually, a wall blocked my path. An endless barricade that moved beyond the realm of my control and into the distance.

There was nowhere else to go.

Exertion caught up with my body as I moved through back alleys. I stumbled on shaky limbs and couldn’t get back up.

My swarm sparked into my power and spread, my sentries and army once more.

Air. Precious breaths I fought to take in; my lungs ached when expanding but shriveled when exhaling.

Sweat like a second skin let cold air grip my body. Spasms ran down my arm and legs.

Insects pooled in hideaways and shadows, ready to drown every enemy around me in a whirlpool of bites and death.

Large weapons were mounted on the wall, spaced periodically. Only two were in my range. They faced outward.

An outside threat?

None of my enemies seemed to know where I was—

Something moved outside the walls. In the forest beyond.

Right into my control.

Wasps, but carapaces like armor and stingers like swords. Perfect for creating a swarm of stinging death.

They were flying around something else.

Something big. Spikes and bone-like plating. A giant bear-creature.

Some bugs died around it. Asphyxiated. The bear had a shroud of some kind of gas? Poisonous?

It was safer for the bugs to land on its odd bone armor than on its flesh. Its body felt… odd. Not skin or metal or stone. More like rubber pretending to be flesh. No body warmth. Cold, like a moving corpse.

An enemy. Separated and alone.

I moved to choke it—no breath. It didn’t breathe.

A construct? Projection? Very fleshy for a robot.

My new wasps swarmed it, stinging and stabbing its thick hide.

The beast stood up on its hind legs and roared. The leaves shook and some bugs died from the outcry.

It flailed and thrashed about, massive paws with unnaturally long claws swiping at my soldiers. More smog poured out of the thousands of pinpricks throughout its hide, yet the bear-thing didn’t slow or stop.

It rampaged.

Trees snapped and flew away from heavy strikes. The ground was torn apart with claws and vicious stomps.

Seconds turned to minutes as the battle went on. I started sending the wasps—the most resilient to the monster’s smoke—in shifts, letting some recover while others continued to attack.

More and more of the regular bugs died, from trampling or the beast’s gas.

I had pulled some garbage bags from a nearby dumpster and settled next to it. The bags covered and hid me.

My body demanded sleep, even through the shivers and aches, but focus kept me awake for the fight.

The bear-thing’s body had been stabbed repeatedly in almost every inch where it wasn’t covered, its eyes smoking holes from being gouged and dug out by bugs. It still fought.

I didn’t know how long it had been, but the beast finally fell onto its side, unmoving. My bugs continued to attack, right until the corpse began to dissipate. I felt the body fade into nothing.

The swarm scoured the ground but there was no trace. It was simply gone.

 _Good_.

My swarm returned to me, as did a wave of exhaustion.

No pursuers. The swarm spread out, just in case.

Rest…

* * *

Two days went by.

Every movement sent the world spinning and threatened to upheave the contents of my stomach; fruit my bugs had stolen.

The glow was my support. A soothing shield against the elements and pain. I reached within, and it came when beckoned. Eventually, it would strain and retreat, but there was a little more time with each session. Progress.

I waited and listened to anything and everything. My bugs gathered in places where they could eavesdrop. 

Each conversation added another sound, another syllable. Every hour I took out the card from the hospital and went over the words, studying the way the lines formed.

My tongue felt clumsy, and every sound felt garbled and strange, but it was getting clearer. The fog slowly lifted, in leaps rather than steps. Moments of clarity gifted me with full sentences before the headache stole them away. 

It wouldn’t be long. The haze would pass, and I would be ready.

Another day came to an end. Its dying light didn’t reach far enough into the alley for me to savor its warmth.

I glanced down. A tired, broken body covered in filth, and garbage for a makeshift shelter. Weapons that I didn’t trust myself to use correctly. Fingers that shook with effort from just holding them up. An ever-present migraine that I fought to ignore.

My mind would be ready, but my body would not. 

I didn’t understand why. 

I was safe and hidden. No enemies had found my location. The glow was soothing any wounds I had.

My bugs found nothing that indicated a direct threat.

Yet, something was wrong. _I_ was wrong.

Then, suddenly, like a hand releasing its grip, my headache eased, only to invite a weight that pressed down on my eyes.

I drifted off.

**Chapter 2 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, Fwee, ccstat, and Resonans2357 for making this pretty! 
> 
> So, I’m going through and editing the entire story. Not much story stuff will change in the big picture sense, but hopefully, it will be more digestible now. The amount I would have to change for me to be happy with it would be absurd (I’d change a lot of the plot, story beats, etc), but at least now it’ll be palatable.
> 
> Again, the link of the beta’s will either go to their accounts or to stories they suggest, so check it out. 


	3. Gold to Gray

* * *

_ Taylor _

I fell between lines, through selves, from madness, and out of slumber.

The sun burned with pure, raging light that left angry red echoes even when I closed my eyes to block it out.

Eventually, I began to adjust.

Cold ground, faint ocean breeze, and a throbbing headache greeted me.

A hollow growl thrummed from my stomach, and my mouth was harshly dry.

The world spun as I tried to sit up.

_Where am I? What—_

Gold light. Consuming control. A farewell to the world, given to the stars.

I was alive.

_Why?_

A shudder racked my body, straining against an all-encompassing soreness.

_Why am I alive?!_

I remembered dying… _Choosing_ to die.

Foggy memories drifted to the surface. I had woken up in a hospital. Stayed only long enough to be able to leave… because I was worried about something. Enemies? Being attacked?

My own reasoning confused me, but I knew I had thought it. Different from the murky madness that was my passenger taking control.

That mindset… I could picture the details clearly, but they were _off._ Like watching a movie of what happened rather than living it.

Maybe Lisa or someone could figure it out.

Where was she? Or anyone, really?

There had been no guards at the hospital… Why? After what I did—

_Oh god._

I forced myself into slow, hissed breaths, teeth clamped shut to hold in the building mania.

It was over. Everything was over.

Scion was gone, leaving only the wreckage of multiple worlds behind. I left behind thousands of people who I had used like puppets. Forced to fight, lambs to the slaughter, pawns to bait the enemy.

Those that survived would be left with the trauma of being enslaved, along with the memories of everyone that died around them, and the destruction of so many worlds.

I bit the inside of my cheek; the pain ripped me back to reality. Wandering thoughts would get me lost, and I wasn’t sure I’d find my way back if I went after them.

I needed to get my bearings. Find out what had happened—no, find out _why_.

Hot agony rippled as I pushed myself up. I almost toppled to the side when I tried to use my missing arm.

My bugs raked claws and mandibles against brick and stone; an outlet for my—

Bugs?

Hundreds of little sparks; small touches, garbled noise, blurry vision. Far off sensations and information that were mine but not my own.

I tried to laugh but coughed instead.

My swarm was with me; the color to my painting.

_That means you’re here too, aren’t you, passenger?_

The shadows in the frame. My partner and parasite, still haunting me. Then again, we were both ghosts now.

I didn’t feel anyone within my control, nothing humanoid or sentient.

It was so much more and so much less.

My eyes were wet and wiping them didn’t clear the fog from my vision. Everything after a short distance was blurry. No glasses. I pulled out my mask and found one of its lenses gone while the other had small cracks around the edges. I wasn’t sure why I had it tucked into my utility belt in the first place.

The thing was ripped and covered in dried blood.

Another breath, less strained and more freeing than before.

Whatever _this_ was, I had a chance to get through it now.

“Maybe I can do this,” I whispered, the words broken and raspy.

I froze. My secret prayer seemed to reverberate through the air.

“Maybe I can do this?” I tasted each sound and syllable as I repeated myself.

Then I did it again, and many more times after that.

Speech. Beautiful words.

I… I had spent the last couple of days listening in on conversations and echoing the words. So much of what had happened since I’d woken up was distant.

Now everything was catching up.

_But can I read?_

I frantically fished out the card I had gotten from the hospital.

_‘Dear Mysterious Stranger,_

_Please don’t be dead. I really really really hope you get better and everything is okay. Hope you get better as soon as possible!_

_Best Wishes,_

_Ruby Rose’_

The name was signed with a doodle of a rose next to it.

I sighed in relief, letting the card droop with my arm onto my stomach. I had struggled with a letter or two, connecting meaning to the various lines and shapes of the characters, but I could still make them out.

My powers and basic communication: two fundamentals I had thought lost.

I hadn’t heard of a cape or person named Ruby Rose. I knew ‘Ruby’ and ‘Rose’ had both been cape names at one point, each used several times by many people, but this obviously wasn’t any of them.

_'P.S. My dad wishes you the best too!_

_P.P.S. My sis also wishes you a good recove—’_

The word ended in a smudge of ink and a battleground of random, jagged lines and scribbles.

‘ _My sis will be sad if you don’t recover, so you’d better get out of there quick, otherwi—’_

The handwriting was different; thicker, harder lines that were lazier than the clumsy-but-trying-to-be-pretty writing from before. Another sentence that ended in another smatter of pen strokes.

_‘P.P.P.S. Sorry about that. My sis just worries too much. She’s a bit of a—’_

If the two interrupted sentences had been a battle for which of the sisters got the pen, the rest of the space on the letter was the war. Half-finished sentences crossed out and then restarted, rushed, nonsensical doodles, and ink stains. A corner of the note had been soaked black from what I guessed was the pen breaking.

Under everything else, there was a small sentence written by a third party based on the more simplistic writing.

‘S _orry about them. We wish you a speedy recovery. – Taiyang Xiao Long’_

I read through the letter once more, then again. My relishing of each word for being able to understand them was slowly overrun by amusement for… whatever _that_ was.

Whoever Ruby or Taiyang were, they cared enough to have left a get well card. Maybe they had found me? Brought me to the hospital? A sense of responsibility for the bleeding cripple?

I checked over the card again. It was nice to know that someone cared, even if they were just strangers. A small comfort. There was even a… a black and white corgi holding a sign. ‘Don’t paws on your recovery.’ Lame.

Rachel would have liked it—

I clamped my eyes shut hard enough that it almost hurt.

_Focus._

I breathed in for four seconds, held it for seven, and exhaled for eight. A calming exercise from therapy that had become instinctual at some point. I hadn’t needed to consciously think about doing it for a long time.

The glow spread along with my calm, a blanket for my rising nerves.

It filled the air that touched my skin, a cloudlike gray that made you unsure if it was going to rain or not. I’d used it during my hospital stay. It made the pain go away, made me stronger.

I had torn through metal like wet paper with it.

No negative effects so far. Even now, I was soothed by it.

_But what is it? Some side effect of whatever power healed me? Maybe a piece of tinkertech that they implanted in me? I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that, but why a pain suppressor and strength enhancement rather than a bomb or something? It was too different to be some weird result from when I… From when…_

From what I had become, in the end. That thing, that _monster_.

Something Contessa said itched in my mind. Out of everything, that conversation was painfully vivid. How she’d sat, trying to put together my thoughts into sentences, the bullets as they hit my skull.

‘Skitter, Weaver, Khepri…’ That was what she had said. 

Khepri... it must be the title they gave me for what I became at the end. 

A fitting name. I hated it.

_Focus. Breathe._

In for four, hold for seven, out for eight.

The glow was helping, maybe. My current biggest concern was getting my bearings and supplies. In my addled state, I had been trying to live off of only a couple of stolen apples, so food and water were a priority.

I was in a city—a _massive_ city based on the several-story tall wall that surrounded it. Even with my poor vision, I could see the structure stretching out along the horizon. Too big to miss.

The society was advanced, based on their technology. A drone of some kind was… gardening? It moved down a row of trees planted along a sidewalk, stopping only to pull a weed—which it stored in an opening on its midsection—or trim some of the branches when it saw fit.

_Probably not my Earth…_

I pushed past the implications of that.

Information first. Bugs brought a bottle of water and a small loaf of bread from a nearby house. The utensils and furniture in the surrounding houses were familiar, so I took some comfort there. Then, I had them gather in areas to listen in on the locals.

I didn’t have to use the bathroom, which was a bad sign. There wasn’t anything to relieve.

I forced myself to drink the water slowly. My stomach would reject a sudden rush of fluids after dehydration. 

The bread was bland and tasteless. I devoured every crumb. After how careful I was with the water, the queasy rumbling from my navel felt like my body scolding me for letting hunger take over. 

A quick sniff almost made my hair fall out. First, a shower or bath, then information. No one was going to talk to me like this.

Some signs around me had Braille, though all the street names were completely foreign. Some read like they were German, Spanish, and even some Japanese. A confusing mix that didn’t help at all.

My glee at discovering I could read again returned as my bugs listened in on a television program; some silly show about doves melodramatically learning life lessons, a typical kid’s show. Not only were the words in English, but I understood them too. I could still read and speak.

Hopefully, people speaking English meant that this world had to have developed similar to Earth Bet. I would have to look up and see where exactly the divergence in our timelines took place.

 _Don’t think about that. Focus_.

I didn’t have any obvious injuries. I checked, prodding for bruises or cuts. Bruises, yes, or my whole body just felt like one.

There was also a metal casing around the end of my missing arm.

I rolled up my sleeve and examined it. I didn’t know its purpose or function. There was no obvious tracker. It was slightly curved at the end, with small round metal domes running along the sides, all seamless.

There wasn’t a clear way to get it to come off. A couple tugs told me that it was connected in such a way that I didn’t want to try pulling harder.

_They must have attached it when I was asleep. Maybe it’s something for healing or injuries, to protect the tissue?_

It wasn’t obviously harmful, so there wasn’t much use worrying about it, _yet_. I had more pressing issues.

I wasn’t going to find out anything by just sitting here. There weren’t that many people around for my bugs to listen to, and I’d already gotten my fill of their mundane day-to-day.

Bones creaked and muscles seized as I pushed through the pain. My arm shook and knees trembled, but eventually, I stood.

The world didn’t spin, but merely tilted, as I took the first steps. Not dizzy enough to stop me.

I stuck to the alleys, hiding from any street cameras, or just covering them when needed.

The city was beautiful, unnervingly so.

The architecture sat somewhere between a London street and a New York Apartment complex. Alcoves, trimming, and fascia panels gave depth and design to the buildings; all pristine and colorful. _Too_ colorful.

Everywhere I looked the colors popped against one another, like they were fighting for attention. It made Chicago look drab and Brockton look like a black and white film.

I turned a corner and noticed the blurry view that opened from the mouth of the alley. I slipped my mask on just enough so that the one good lens covered my eye, and gaped.

The city stood in all its glory. Pointed rooftops spiked from the endless stream of large buildings that spread beyond sight. Two monorail systems running _above_ the houses circled and twined throughout the city. I could still make out spots where small gardens and trees had been given room to grow—a floral accent to the city’s grandeur. Flying ships flew or hovered in the air—not planes or helicopters, but ships that screamed Tinkertech. Well, they probably weren’t, based on the sheer volume I counted flying freely.

There were too many, and they weren’t flying in military patterns. Commercial.

The city was definitely not something from Earth Bet or any other Earth I remembered seeing through Clairvoyant’s power. 

Meaning that I had been dropped on some isolated, unknown world.

_Don’t think about that right now._

One thing stood apart from it all, something that stole the prize for perfection in my eyes.

A river that snaked through the city.

Somewhere I could take a bath and maybe drink from, if it was fresh water.

The slight hill that offered the view added helpful momentum as I hobbled to the water. A gentle squeeze unclicked my utility belt and all my weapons dropped to the ground. I dropped my mask along with it.

I sucked in a breath and let myself fall into the icy waters without bothering to slow down. The cold woke me up and soothed my aches. Electric tingles danced along my maimed arm. I ran my hand through my hair as I simply let myself drift under the surface.

_Calm, finally… I needed this._

A pressure slowly built in my lungs as they demanded air, but my world under the water kept me away.

Away from thoughts, and the guilt that came with them. A small bit of peace.

Then, my bugs tagged someone rushing toward where I was.

I broke the surface with a satisfying shower of water that washed down my face, only to meet the eyes of a young Asian man with dark yellow hair, a color that could only have come from dye but looked extremely natural. His clothes were oddly color-coordinated to match his hair. He held some kind of screen in his hand that he pocketed with a relieved sigh.

“Oh, thank goodness. I saw someone go into the river and not come back up immediately. You okay there, miss?” he asked with a friendly smile.

“Uh, yes, I’m fine.” I coughed; my throat felt dry, and my voice was hoarse from disuse. “Just, taking a dip…” I paddled and found that having one less arm made the task more strenuous than I had anticipated. The riverbed was just far enough away to be awkward to try and walk along.

My bugs hid on the edge of roofs, in crevices, and behind corners, waiting to strike if he tried anything or went for my weapons.

I reached the banked shore and walked up. A slow squeeze down the length of my hair let water drain from it, leaving it wet but not soaking. I quickly reached down and grabbed my utility belt, fumbling with it until I figured out how to put it back on with one hand. My mask went back into a pouch.

The man held a reserved concern. My pitiful swimming probably had him ready to jump in after me at a moment’s notice, and I was sure my belt display hadn’t impressed him either.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m sure…” The scratchy words died in my throat as I noticed the view from over his shoulder.

Even through blurry vision, I could see a moon that crumbled from its center, little more than half of it still intact, hanging in the air despite it being midday.

_Do the tides still work? Is this world just waiting for the broken sections of the moon to rain down and wipe everything off the face of the planet?!_

“—ss? Miss?!”

“Huh?” I was startled back to reality as the man waved a hand in front of me, but my focus was drawn back to the moon.

“Are you really sure you’re okay?” More concern and weight in his words.

“Yes, sorry. Just… noticed the moon.” _Is my vision worse than I realized? Is there something else in the sky?_

“The moon? What about it?”

“Is… Is it broken…?” A sudden cringe broke my trance as the man’s changing reactions confirmed my fears.

Friendly concern to concern to serious concern.

“I think something might be wrong with you, miss.” It obviously wasn’t something anyone could have missed. _Damn it_. “I’m just going to call someone to check and make sure you’re feeling alright, okay?”

“No no, it’s fine. I just get surprised by the sight every now and then.” His disbelief was clear. No choice.

I bolted away and down an alley. I was still so tired, my steps heavy and muscles protesting. He called after me; I didn’t look back.

_Fuck. That was amateurish._

There were still too many unknowns. Who ran this city? Fascists? Cultists?

Even if this wasn’t a dictatorship, I could get kicked out into the woods with whatever that monster thing was if they caught me without any documentation.

Before I decided on my next step, I needed information.

I wasn’t sure which direction I was running toward, only that it was away from whatever authorities the man had called.

The slight incline that had given me my previous view had leveled out so that the buildings blocked everything.

It also became apparent that almost every building was several stories tall, at least. Every. One.

There was also no trash in sight, no graffiti, no signs of wear either. The city was taken care of, no detail spared.

It was… unnatural. I felt like there was a lack of character to the world, a missing history of age and storms weathered.

A dollhouse world where everything was manufactured to be perfect.

The air tasted slightly of salt, and the nostalgic smell grew as I continued running.

Houses and shops petered off to allow space for warehouses in what I guessed was the city’s shipping area.

I didn’t know how far was safe enough to get away, so I just kept going until my breaths became gasps and my body ached. I had gone so far, but the city was endless.

The run had left me lightheaded and heaving, soaked clothes weighing heavily against sweat-caked skin. Almost reflexively, the glow came to ease my pains. It even helped keep me warm.

My arm didn’t hurt, but it throbbed like a missing memory. I caught myself thinking that I was leaning on a wall for support, the sensations were so lucid. The texture of the stonework, the cold surface slowly heating under my touch. Then, I noticed that my hand couldn’t be touching the wall, because it _wasn’t_ there. I had just been holding my limb out.

It would be something to get used to.

I forced myself to walk so that my muscles wouldn’t completely seize up from the exertion.

The shoes I had—oh, I had stolen these clothes, another reason for them to come after me, _shit_ —were not meant for an active lifestyle. My feet throbbed angrily from pounding against the asphalt, the sensation of blisters already formed and popped stinging with each step.

I could see the coastline now, and along it, a giant shipping area. An island in the distance off the shore was barely highlighted by the setting sun.

_Dad would have loved a place like this._

Large warehouses filled with crates and machines. Huge areas of shipping containers ready to be sorted or sent out. Space that looked like helipads—for the airships. Cranes ready by the docks to unload anything from ships to freighters, based on their size.

It wasn’t visually impressive, but I knew that all of it meant that there was lots of available work for the people here.

Dad had been struggling with the docks for so long, especially after Leviathan, the Slaughterhouse Nine, and me… Here, he could have flourished.

I’d never know.

I had been too cowardly to check and see if he had died during Scion’s rampage, or too broken to be able to take the news.

Now, I’d never get the chance to know. Never be able to try and make things better between us—beyond the phone calls and half-hearted conversations while I’d been in the Wards. An actual relationship.

Not like before Mom died but… something.

My bugs brought me a set of keys they found in one of the warehouses, and I grabbed it with shaking hands.

_I might never know if Dad’s even alive or not._

My breaths built and shuddered against my will with each exhale as I slipped into the warehouse. A place to rest for the day and hide from any authorities that might be searching for me.

_Lisa. Rachel. Gone—_

Stop _. Don’t think about it._

I threw my soaked clothes over a shelf to dry and grabbed what looked like a fancy safety jacket my bugs found in a locker. The glow let me rip the door open with ease.

Now, there was nothing to do but rest.

I sat at a desk and glanced over the papers on it. Shipping manifests. Nothing stood out except various shipments of ‘Dust’, whatever that was. No details or descriptions. Even the arrival location was abbreviated so I couldn’t learn where I was.

 _Rest_ …

Time ticked on. My bugs spread out, but the local workers were heading home for the day, leaving me alone.

Nothing but me and… and my thoughts…

_Brian. Aisha._

I sprung up from the chair and paced the warehouse. Everything was sealed in crates that were labeled. It was mostly furniture and art. ‘V. to Mis.’ was their destination and origin. Unhelpful.

_Everyone._

_Fuck_.

There was nothing to do, to distract me.

“Stop… stop…” I begged my mind as it dragged me through all the things that were now gone. All the friends I had _betrayed_.

All the people I had controlled.

My body started to shake.

Everyone I would never see again.

A building pressure broke through my mental grip and poured down my cheeks.

I bent down and hugged my knees, instinctively rocking back and forth as everything came crashing down, no matter how hard I tried to keep it in.

The only silver lining was that I had held on long enough for everyone in the area to go home.

Tears built to sobs, and then to a single desperate scream.

I had lost everything.

**Chapter 3 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, Fwee, ccstat, Majigah, and Resonans2357 for making this pretty.
> 
> This fic will be rather introspective for Taylor. It’s either a result of my writing or the story itself but just a heads-up. 
> 
> There's already 170k written, just putting it through the AO3 posting process will take some time.


	4. Choose

* * *

_Taylor_

I sniffled and hugged my legs tighter.

The sun had set some time ago. Each moment blurred together. I was barely managing to keep balancing on the balls of my feet.

Here I was, feeling sorry for myself despite all the terrible things I had done. I’d known what the cost would be. I didn’t have the _right_ to pity myself for this.

No regret for having won, but so much guilt for how I did it.

Besides, it wasn’t the time or place for this… Hopefully, it wouldn’t ever be.

I felt better after crying and hated that I did.

I tried to stand, bones creaking, but wobbled and fell. My arm shot out to stop my fall—my missing arm.

I rolled over, my side stinging from where it had met the floor, and I stared up at the roof. My muscles savored the relief from escaping the cramped position I had been in.

Lack of food, water, sleep. Running till sweat dripped from my nose and salt sat on my skin. Exerting myself after… weeks? I wasn’t sure. After a long period in bed, recovering. No idea what to do, where I was, who I could trust.

Every memory felt fresh and raw despite the time that had passed, like the battle with Scion had been yesterday. Maybe it was because I had only really woken up today, the haze over my mind only just having lifted completely.

My nose crinkled from my odor. Old sweat and river water, even after my impromptu bath—which I also forgot to drink from. _Fuck_.

The world shined with a tint of gray as I called the glow to surround me. It was the only reason I hadn’t passed out. I wasn’t sure if it was just suppressing my pains and exhaustion or actively healing me. The enhanced strength was nice too.

Silence and stillness trickled on. My previous episode had warded off any chance of sleep, at least for a while.

Now there was nothing.

This warehouse would be used at some point in the future, most likely in the morning. I couldn’t stay.

I… I wasn’t sure what to do. No plans, nowhere to go. Aimless and alone.

Why did Contessa leave me alive? Why drop me off in another world at all?

She would have needed Glaistig Uaine to use Doormaker’s power to open a portal to here… but I arrived right as I was shot, right?

No. I couldn’t be sure of how long it had been. I could have been frozen or preserved somehow for who knew how long.

My sigh filled the warehouse but didn’t seem to let anything else out.

There wasn’t going to be a happy ending, but there was supposed to at least be _an_ ending. Not this.

And why this world? A world that somehow restored my powers. What if they reverted back to controlling people again?

I choked on something that might have been a panicked scream or manic laughter.

_Fucking damn it! I wouldn’t have to deal with all this if they had just killed me like I—_

I stopped, a perfect stillness that made vivid every moment of my tears, dragged out by panic.

In for four, hold for seven, out for eight.

I couldn’t think like that. Yes, I had accepted death, had even asked for it, and Contessa had answered with two bullets. 

But I was alive now, and I could still do something. Death wouldn’t give anyone anything or make up for what I did, even if it was the least I owed.

There was nothing that could do that.

What mattered was that the rest of the impact I would make needed to be for the better. It was a chance I wasn’t worthy of, one I didn’t deserve, but it was the least I could— _should_ do.

I just didn’t know how to do it.

Standing up was easier than I expected; the glow had proven its worth once more.

I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and quickly changed back into my hanging clothes. They weren’t completely dry and the air had chilled them, but it would have to do.

_Maybe I should take my chances with whoever or whatever runs the city?_

They _might_ be willing to help an illegal immigrant with little to no knowledge of the world and customs, who smelled like a waterlogged rat that had run a marathon…

Perhaps I could try and teach?

Without any formal education, documentation, or basic knowledge of this world… From just a glance, I could tell the divergence was much greater than between Bet and Aleph. Citywide tinkertech, a shattered moon, monsters in the woods that could survive thousands of bee stings equivalent to shallow stabbings.

Also, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go down a road that would lead me to being in charge of others. My decision-making was… I would have done things better, if I could.

I pulled out my mask. The spider silk was stained from blood, rips and tatters lined the seams, and two bullet holes were so close they overlapped slightly. 

I held it in my teeth and pulled at the band that held the lenses in place. My new strength tore the already ruined mask to free the lenses and their strap. I now had an improvised pair of googles.

_At least I’ll be able to see now._

The parts with chitin were mostly unusable, but one spread of fabric that had attached around my neck was undamaged enough to use as a facemask. It smelled of smoke and grime. Half of the world came into clarity as I adjusted the lenses—now just goggles, though one lens was completely gone. 

I put the safety coat back and left the warehouse.

The smell of the water, a breeze that nipped at the senses, surrounded by docks—if I closed my eyes, I could pretend I was home.

The moon really was shattered. Pixel dots of debris barely stood out from the night sky as they drifted from larger pieces of the broken body. Beautiful in its devastation.

A grumble from my stomach told me what my next step was. No existential ponderings, just a lunchroom.

It was peacefully quiet as I continued along the coastline through the docks. Stray lights hung along the sides of the warehouses lit the way. So far, there had only been more storage, more crates, and—

Two strange things entered my range, both feasting on a bit of rotten food hidden behind a desk, and quickly scampered to where I wanted them.

Eight hairy legs, but a single bulbous body with a carapace shell that covered wings too small for anything besides gliding and short flights. Mandibles of both a spider and a roach—which was also the match-up that best described its appearance… A spider-roach?

No webs but a vicious bite and very durable. Able to eat basically anything, from what my power understood of its biology.

The wildlife had been almost identical to what I knew right until it wasn’t. I had flies, butterflies, ants, bees, a small variety of spiders, all very familiar. Then, the larger sword wasps, the bear-thing outside the walls, and this odd amalgamation appeared.

My swarm caught movement skirting on the edge of my range: a group of nine figures moving in a sloppy formation moved toward a warehouse. Small bugs ran along their belts and found swords and guns. Scimitars, I guessed from the shape. 

My knowledge of swords was strictly from practicing against bladed weapons to fight Jack Slash.

I followed them as they walked through the docks, keeping a few buildings between us to be safe.

A couple of them had large rifles strapped to their backs, somewhat like a longer submachine gun but more angular and square in design. Metal tubes ran down the gun's length toward a short barrel.

Possibly tinkertech, or at least at the level of advanced tech of this world compared to my own.

They were oddly careful while rolling two sealed trunks, periodically looking back to check on them. Interesting. 

Two of them seemed to be scouting ahead while the rest followed behind one that was obviously the leader. The followers held pistols, similar in their blocky design to the rifles, with an awkward confidence—a trait I had seen with gang members who hadn’t actually used one before but thought they were invincible because they had one.

The leader was bigger than the rest, overly muscular compared to everyone else, and… was that a giant chainsaw on his back?

My bugs scurried around it again, feeling the weapon’s teeth and build. It was almost as big as me. Just him being able to walk unhindered hinted at a Brute rating. Being able to use it effectively would be a whole other story.

I sent in as many bugs as I could via the track the teeth ran through and into the inner workings of the weapon. Sadly, there was no access to anything mechanical. No chance to disable it, and it would be a waste of bugs to try and have them gunk up the weapon with their corpses.

All in all, four with swords, two with rifles, two with pistols, and the leader.

I paused in my pursuit as I registered what my bugs were crawling on.

One of the armed men had horns that jutted out from their hood, and another had a long, furry tail.

_Case 53’s? Some kind of animal feature implants? Or another species entirely?_

I marked their joints and weapons with bugs, moving enough of my swarm onto the surrounding warehouse roofs to eavesdrop. Some had to be pulled away from spinning a… a single dragline of spider-silk? I hadn’t remembered ordering my spiders to do that. 

_Was that you, passenger? Thank you._

It was only one rope, but a welcome gift that I would make full use of.

“It’s this one. Open it up and stack the trunks around the corner with the others. Roman will do the rest. Now move.” His voice was gravelly and slightly accented. “We have one more shop to hit tonight before we rejoin with the others.”

_Criminals, then. Storing their stolen goods before they go to rob another place._

Their voices were clearer than what I was used to, the words only slightly distorted rather than chipped and lost. I didn’t have to decipher any missed words or fill in any blanks. Odd.

The heavy lock on the warehouse main bay door clicked open—they must have stolen or been given the key in advance—and they moved in.

_Do I want to get involved in this?_

I didn’t want to fight. Not just because I wasn’t sure of the criminal culture of the city and the consequences of battling them, but I… I was tired of fighting. So tired…

But then I’d be just letting these criminals get away with what they’d already stolen and allowing them to go off and steal some more. They were too heavily armed to not be willing to use deadly force.

If they killed someone, and I could have stopped them, then how was that being better than I was?

_Fuck!_

My swarm writhed with my frustration, and the glow surged around me.

I had hoped there would have been more time before something like this happened. Doing nothing was just the extreme opposite of going too far. Was I trading one end of the spectrum for the other?

No way to call the local authorities. More targets than I was comfortable taking on in my condition, without information, and I probably shouldn’t be using my powers _—_ not blatantly, at least. 

If this world didn’t have capes or parahumans, showing off my swarm would bring the attention of groups I couldn’t face at the moment.

How would a world without powers react? Dissection? Experimentation? Imprisonment? I wasn’t going to end up a lab rat after all this.

The gang members could also have the glow too. It would explain how the leader could use that giant chainsaw for a weapon. I wasn’t sure if the glow was something that appeared because someone did something to me, or if it was common across this world.

A group of possibly nine Brutes. The leader definitively had the glow, otherwise, his choice of weapon was just impossible to use.

_Or it could be something completely different, because I know nothing about this world!_

The gang members had moved a pile of crates to stash their loot behind the other goods stored there. Hidden in plain sight. Another of them was at a desk; it felt like he was writing. Probably fixing the manifest so the crates wouldn’t be suspicious.

They were almost finished up, and I was almost out of time to consider my options. As much as I didn’t want to face it, there was really only one option, even if it came with regrets.

Resignation came with a hollow sensation of defeat.

_I guess I have no choice._

It felt like I had already failed somehow. I wanted to be better, but I was already back in familiar territory. A cruel imitation of my first night out in costume; finding Lung and the ABB talking about killing kids.

It wasn’t the night where everything went wrong, but it was a large domino in the line of falling pieces.

History repeated itself; I couldn’t just stand by.

I wondered how many times I had used that line of thought to hurt people?

I checked over my equipment as I quietly approached.

My pistol looked intact. One full magazine and a spare, so thirty rounds total. The one rope of spider-silk. The nano-thorn knife was my last resort. My folding baton… wasn’t coming out.

I held it up to my eye and saw the slight bend to it, just enough to stop it from sliding out. Useless.

The two pistol-wielders kept watch, the rest staying inside. The leader moved deeper into the warehouse while four of them stood in the mouth of the building.

I called for my glow and it surged readily. The process felt like the mental flex of a muscle. I took a step and the glow flickered and fled back within me. 

I brought it out again and held it, waiting to see if it slipped away again. After a few moments, it had stayed, so I focused back on my bugs, and the glow vanished again.

For how easy it was to bring out, it annoyed me that I wasn’t holding onto it. Focus was what I needed, and I wouldn’t let a lack of concentration be the reason I was unable to do anything.

I tugged and pulled it, trying to bring more out. I’d need it through all of this. If I could only use my bugs inconspicuously, then the glow was my best weapon. It washed over my senses and gripped my very being.

It was everything. It was _me_. And it was too much.

 _‘Finally, everyone was working together’—_ a mistake _—I rubbed his back, what little comfort I could give—_ I should have done more _—‘You made me into one’—_ another step in the wrong direction _—screaming at the wall, wondering what I could do, how I could escape—_ my escape became my excuse _—if there was even the smallest chance, I would use it—_ a foolish, shortsighted idea _—it wasn’t perfect, but it was a step forward_ —it hadn’t been _—‘S-so very small, in the end’—_

My eyes shot open and the glow faded, that _feeling_ along with it, slipping away like a dream.

Blood pounded in my ears to the frantic hammering of my heart. My lungs fought to keep up with the rhythm. A line of sweat ran down one of my goggles' lenses.

I curled around myself, holding everything in. I shouldn’t have stared into the abyss.

Lesson learned. Don’t bring out more of yourself than you can handle… I hoped the glow didn’t make you feel like… like who you were, if that was what that was. 

That had been… unsettling. All of that, all at once.

I brought out the glow again, measured and cautious but sharper than before.

_Distract and attack. Hit them hard enough to go down after one hit. Don’t let them group up on me._

I leaned against the wall of the warehouse they were in, around the corner from the two guards.

Four in. Hold for seven. Eight out.

 _Here we go_.

I took the broken baton and threw it in a gentle arc over the guards. It clattered against the concrete. They turned, pistols halfway up but not readied, toward the sound.

“What was that?” I heard from one of them as I burst around the corner, glow at its full might.

They wore puffy black pants tucked into heavy boots and white vests that came down in tailcoats with gray trimming. Black cloth gloves clung tightly to their skin and ended just before the elbow. Black undershirts with hoods obscured their heads while iron-colored masks with slits for eyes covered everything but their mouths.

Very cult-like.

Each step pushed me faster and faster until I swear the world blurred.

Too fast.

I tried to stop, slow down or at least change directions, but I had already reached the guards.

My charge turned into an improvised tackle, and I slammed into one of them with far more force than I had intended. 

If the guard had been a normal person, I would have killed her. Instead, she crashed into the other guard, and a green and yellow shimmer respectively flared and shattered around them. Both screamed as they were sent sprawling, in pain and surprise, but they were alive.

I winced from the hit, not from the impact but from guilt. The glow made me even stronger than I thought, far stronger. It also meant that these guards were far stronger and more durable as well. I had torn metal like tinfoil with my new strength, I had to be careful.

My bugs had crawled down from the roof and placed the line of spider-silk along the doorway, tying one end to the track the giant sliding door just in time to scamper out of sight as the gang members turned toward the scuffle.

There was a snarling red animal with three claw marks behind it emblazoned on their backs.

_A gang symbol?_

For a frozen moment, they stared at me, the sudden intruder in the doorway standing above two of their own, before they scrambled to raise their guns or draw their swords. 

One of the two carrying the trunk dropped his end to frantically draw his sword. The other grunt holding on failed to keep his grip as the trunk fell. It bounced on the floor with a metal crack. I saw that one side had a logo of a snowflake as it toppled over.

The trunk’s contents spilled across the floor as the lid popped open. Large jewels, not like glass, more like shards of pure color, clattered alongside vials of similarly colored powder. Some spilled across the ground, fine like sand.

_Jewel thieves? I’ve never seen gems that were so opaque before._

“Idiots! Careful with those, or you’ll blow us all to hell!” yelled the leader. His voice was gravel and steel that vibrated with his frustration. _Those are explosive?! This isn’t just petty thievery then._ “You two, gather the Dust.” _Dust?_ “The rest, kill her.”

_They turned to murder rather easily._

I dashed out of view and crouched beside the door’s opening, one hand on the dragline. 

The leader pulled what I guessed was a phone, probably to send out a message. Two of them started carefully shoveling the crystal powder into little containers in the trunk. Two others were knocked out. The last four rushed the door after me in a free-for-all charge.

I pulled the rope taut just as they came through, and two of them tripped, flying forward onto the already downed pair. One of them saw the sprawling pile and jumped over it to avoid slamming into the group. 

The last member skidded to a stop to step over the dragline, and I charged at her for a shoulder tackle. 

With superhuman speed, she hopped out of reach and aimed her rifle in one fluid motion.

_Fuck!_

I bolted after her, trying to get to her before she fired. I wasn’t fast enough.

Pain like a sledgehammer blow spread across my hip. A part of my glow seemed to vanish.

I forced myself onward, and before she took another shot, my foot met her stomach. The kick sent her off the ground and into the warehouse door frame, rattling the entire building. A shimmer of teal washed over her skin from where I had hit her.

I quickly glanced down at my hip and found no blood or bullet wound.

_Enhanced durability too? A forcefield?_

Even with the empowered strength behind my attack, she was still awake and was raising her gun to fire again. Only now, she was too far away to try and rush.

So, I raised my gun and fired at her legs, only to watch as the bullets bounced off her teal glow. 

I’d felt my own supply of glow trickle away as I strengthened myself, or how it had lessened from the gunshot, so there should be a limit. I remembered the empty sensation of it fading during my hospital stay.

Two more rounds and the teal vibrated and broke along her body, originating from the impact. 

She sputtered and gasped, gun dipping from the sudden loss of her glow. It was enough of a window for me to get close.

A swift jab with the butt of my gun sent her to sleep. I hoped I held back enough not to do any serious damage.

The one who had jumped over the pile had made his way around the tangle of limbs and charged at me with a wild two-handed swing of a scimitar meant to cleave me in two.

I pivoted and watched the sword cut the air in front of me with surprising speed, and I fired from my hip into his side.

He stumbled past me from his momentum and the unexpected shot. His footing was terrible; untrained. Super strength didn’t mean anything if you couldn’t keep your balance to properly hit something.

A brown shimmer shined briefly but didn’t cascade across him like the others had. He grunted in pain, but more the amount for a stubbed toe rather than a bullet.

_They do all have glows. Do the different colors mean anything?_

I would have shot again, but my spin swung my body around with more force than I expected.

The other two guards had found their footing and stood up from the unconscious pair. I caught muttered curses and angry growls from them.

I hopped back in my improvised pirouette to get away as one lunged to impale me. His weapon was a blur through the air.

The blade nicked my side but didn’t slice. It hurt, but not in the way a cut should. More like the smack of a baton or a blunt edge grinding across skin.

My attacker pursued, and I dodged back. The other two grunts followed behind, waiting for their chance to strike. I moved so they couldn’t surround me, but I needed to change locations.

Sloppy strikes slashed through the air while I tried to bob and weave, but every movement I made was a burst rather than a slide. I was moving too fast to get my balance, overshooting or overcompensating for the speed.

The glow was a layer of protection I couldn’t give up even if it was messing with my motions, especially since I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the speed of their attacks otherwise.

The wall of the warehouse facing the one the gang members were in was at my back. The two sword users were moving in a pincer formation as the other one raised a rifle. 

I took the only path I had, over the two unconscious guards and back into the warehouse. 

A gunshot pierced the air, and my leap over the guards was suddenly a tumble. Pain erupted on the shoulder of my maimed arm, but the bullet didn’t pierce my glow.

I managed to roll unsteadily to my feet through the doorway but didn’t stop moving; my pursuers were right on my tail.

There were crates staircasing to the roof of the warehouse to my left, shelves and trunks to my right.

_Need some distance._

One of the guards placing the crystals into the trunk looked up, just in time to see my flying knee shatter his mask as I went through him rather than around. He collapsed under me as I leapt over him.

I dashed to the side and grabbed the edge of a metal crate, my gun pinned under my hand and almost flexing under the force of my grip, and hoisted myself up with amazing ease.

Just in time to hear the screech of blade against steel from a sideways slash where I had just been.

Growls of frustrations followed me as I turned and fired before any of them had a chance to pursue.

The grunt who had just attacked dodged with a roll. Another caught two shots in the chest, but their glow didn’t break. The one who had shot me had apparently grabbed the sword of the grunt whose mask I shattered, reholstering his rifle on his back. I watched, flabbergasted, as he cut the bullets out of the air with two precise swings.

 _Enhanced reaction speed as well? Enough to dodge a bullet at that range? To fucking_ cut _a bullet?!_

The grunt’s roll was awkward, uncoordinated, and left her open, but still… The glow gave them Brute and Thinker ratings? I, on the other hand, was only getting the Brute rating. Maybe there was a trick to it, but I didn’t have the time to test things out. 

In less than a second, I had followed the path my bugs were taking and fired again into the one who rolled.

My first shot sped in front of her as my arm jerked ahead too fast and overtook her trajectory.

The other two shots caught her side.

The impacts sent her tumbling uncontrollably out of her roll and headfirst into a crate with a hollow clang. 

She wobbled, staring at the small dent her face had made, then collapsed.

The gang members suddenly seemed to speed-up. The glow had sunk back within me. I quickly called it back, furious at myself for losing focus, and felt it wrap around me again. 

My pause was enough for the grunt who had taken the shots to the chest to reach the crate I was on.

I sidestepped his quick stab at my feet just in time, then smiled as he overextended, and I jumped off the crate and onto his shoulders.

My momentum carried through as he fell onto his back, both my legs stomping down on his shoulders with as much force as I could muster as he connected with the concrete.

Cracks formed from the impact, and he screamed in pain. His bones gave way under my feet, and his glow faded.

I somersaulted off the man, under the sideways slash of the remaining grunt, and rolled back up.

I used the brief distance I had gained from the maneuver to holster my gun and pick up the sword that my last victim had lost.

My bugs moved discreetly to position one of the smaller explosive gems closer and lift it slightly up.

Just enough for when I spun and scooped it up with my sword, the wider end of the blade made it the perfect width for the move, and lacrosse-threw it at my pursuer.

I prayed the impact wouldn’t set the gem off, but there hadn’t been an explosion from when they fell.

He reared back and carefully cradled the gem with his chest and arm to catch it. He sighed in relief, but my distraction had worked.

I rushed back toward the entrance.

I slammed the hilt of the sword down on the collarbone of the one still pawing the crystals back into the trunk. Then, I kicked the side of her head, and she hit the floor hard. A glimmer of green shined and splintered.

The one whose mask I shattered, he had no nose, just slitted nostrils like a snake. 

_Huh. Do they all have animal features? Is this common for this world? Or just this gang?_

I didn’t take the time to observe further, sprinting out of the warehouse.

The bullet-cutting grunt had quickly set down the gem and was on my heels.

He was faster than me, and I skidded to a stop in time for him to launch a precise flurry of slashes, body then neck then leg.

My bugs reading which directions he was preparing to strike was the only reason I wasn’t hit.

I wasn’t a swordsman, and this person wasn’t completely untrained like the others were, but he knew how to move and not lose his balance. How to move from one attack to the next without leaving huge openings.

He thrust forward, aimed to skewer me through my stomach.

I threw up a one-handed rising block but didn’t fully divert the blow, and it slid across my shoulder.

An icy pain cut through my senses, and I felt my glow lessen noticeably within myself.

I wasn’t sure how much I still had, or how much longer it would last.

With the extra speed from the glow and knowing how not to stumble around from it, he made for a dangerous obstacle.

One that I couldn’t let dictate the flow of the battle.

He pushed me back and around the corner from the others.

I ducked under a horizontal slash and tried to poke at his legs, only for him to step out of the way, and he arced his sword up around his head to come down in a vertical strike that forced me to leap into an inelegant roll to escape.

He huffed a grunt of victory and pounced on the opportunity.

In a single stride he was upon me, a battle cry on his lips as he began a fatal slice that would have cut me from hip to shoulder.

My large wasps had already retrieved my thrown baton and were hovering above us.

“Quick, hit him now!” I hissed, glancing pointedly behind him, just as the baton cracked against the asphalt.

He abandoned his strike and hastily hopped back to intercept the new ‘foe’.

“Wha—” he started but was cut off as my charge put him on the back foot.

I sent strong, wild strikes at him, hammering my attacks against his blade, forcing him to block or parry my blows rather than make his own.

A roar like a wild animal erupted from my throat, anything to keep him off-balance or focus on defence.

It was reckless, manic, and left me open, but it made him more afraid of taking a hit than taking advantage of all my openings.

The ringing of blade against blade was almost a single, constant clang. A barrage to prevent him from recovering his stance.

“Pathetic!” I taunted between strikes.

“Fuck you, you—" Just what I wanted.

A fly zoomed into his mouth midway through his sentence.

He stumbled as he choked, arm instinctively reaching for his throat, and swung desperately at me.

I struck his approaching blade with a hard swipe.

Our blades bounced off each other, and I let mine fly from my hand so its backward force wouldn’t push me off-balance or throw off my rising knee to his crotch.

The gang member tried to howl in pain, but the choking made it sound like a strangled wheeze instead.

His glow surged but didn’t cascade and break. Not yet.

His stagger gave me enough time to step down with my attacking foot and bring the other one up to hit the same spot again, my glow moving in full force to amplify the blow.

A primal screech ripped from his lips through his choking.

He fell to his knees and looked up just in time to watch my fist connect with the center of his face. Once, twice, three times his head flew back.

Still, his glow held.

I brought out my gun and shot his knee. When the bullet was deflected, I shot again.

His glow shattered along his skin and the bullet pierced into the bone. He was still conscious though, a hand desperately pawing toward his sword.

Head blows were dangerous, now that his glow was gone.

I slammed a heel onto the wound. A sickening crunch sounded, punctuated by a gasping scream.

He fainted from the pain.

_What made him more resilient? Was he better trained? Do people naturally have different amounts of glow?_

I stepped away from him, his blood on my foot leaving prints.

No time to catch my breath, despite my heavy panting.

I pinned the gun against my chest with my chin, pulled the empty magazine free, and reloaded it with my spare one.

That had been brutal, but I didn’t want to risk him rejoining the fight.

I stepped back around the corner to see the leader step over the groaning goons still in front of the warehouse.

His unconcerned posture and choice to not hurry filled me with dread.

He stood directly under one of the warehouse’s outdoor lights, the weight of the enormous chainsaw held easily—no, _comfortably_ with one hand. He was clearly very familiar with using the massive weapon.

_If that one grunt had been head and shoulders above the others, then what about their leader?_

Even his appearance was distinct from the others.

A black tribal tattoo snaked around his left arm in curls, breaks, and sharp lines, standing out prominently against his tanned skin. Heavy forearm guards protected the back of his hands up to his elbows and matched the foot and shin guards around his boots. Instead of a hood, his white vest rose up to create a collar around his neck, leaving his short black hair visible.

His mask was what drew my focus.

It was snow-white, red accents curved around the eye holes with slim, cruel trails that came down from the eyes towards his chin. It covered his entire face and had a pointed seam lined vertically down the mask, marking the middle.

My memory of it was off, and the vision I perceived through my bugs was basically unintelligible, but the monster I had seen in the forest was a mass of black fur and white bone with red accents.

The resemblance was uncanny; purposeful.

A desire to be like the monsters? Allied with them in some sense? Or just a method to instill fear?

“This was your chance to prove yourselves worthy to the cause. Why is it that only one of you was able to show the strength of the Faunus?” His voice rose into a shout as he glanced about to the rest of the gang. “No matter. You, _girl,_ ” he spat the last word like an insult and pointed the chainsaw at me without a hint of strain. “I was wondering if I would get the chance to break anyone during my time here.”

The chainsaw started as a vicious growl and built into a guttural roar that filled the air.

The leader stalked forward, chainsaw digging into the ground as he held it pointed down at his side. Sparks bounced menacingly with each sway that brought the tip into contact with the concrete.

I aimed my gun and fired all but one round at him.

He raised his chainsaw like a shield, but several bullets still scored glancing or direct hits.

His black glow shimmered and pulsed strongly. He didn’t slow or look affected at all.

A step began a march that shifted into a pounding sprint. Gravel and bits of rubble flew from each impact his feet made.

He hacked at me with a rising slash that forced me to jump over the grinding blade that rushed upwards under me.

He turned with his blow, spinning into a horizontal slash that cut straight through the wall of the warehouse in its wide arc toward me, which slowed it enough for me to dodge.

My feet had barely touched the ground before I was forced to lean back, sliding on my knees under the blow. I felt the sliding scrape through my glow.

The chainsaw must have weighed at least a hundred pounds, yet it sped by fast enough that my hair trailed along with the disruption of wind it made.

There were no second chances with this one. One hit and it was over.

With the fear came a razor focus.

He was slower than the last member I’d fought, but his ungodly strength and the fact that his glow was, judging by his reaction to the bullets, many times more durable than the others made him a scary opponent.

The chainsaw on top of his size gave him far more reach than me. I couldn’t slip into range since I knew I couldn’t block a hit from him either.

This would either be a fight of attrition where he would have to tire enough that I could move in and chip away at his glow, or I had to figure something else out.

Given his durability, he might just be able to ignore my attacks completely.

I rose up from my slide and ran down the side of the warehouse without facing him.

A light, passing kick to one of the still conscious grunts knocked her out. I wasn’t taking the chance on the glow coming back and putting one of them back in the fight.

The leader chased after me, but I was gaining some distance.

My swarm moved, leaving only one bug per fallen grunt to watch if they woke up.

One of them was still struggling, a couple bugs clawing at his sinuses. Too distracted to notice the clouds of insects diving into the piles of spilled explosive powder, bathing in it enough to still be able to fly. The non-fliers built little mounds of it on themselves and were picked up by others.

The colors might mean different effects, but I mostly made out yellow and red blurs from them. I hoped that would do.

_Running won’t accomplish anything._

I holstered my gun and drew the nano-thorn knife.

I turned back to face him in time to sidestep a massive downwards swing from the chainsaw that ripped up the ground as it made contact, sparks and gravel flying from the rotating instrument of destruction.

A squeeze of the trigger by the hilt, and nothing. No hum or vibration.

_Shit._

In prime condition, the activation was instant. After Cauldron’s headquarters, it had taken five seconds to warm up. Now, after everything, it might not even start.

The side of the warehouse was my shield. While he could cut through the wall, it would provide enough resistance to slow the strike. Any wide or full swings were crippled.

All I had to do was not get trapped against it.

I hopped and weaved back, staying at the edge of his range.

The leader growled at every miss, but with each thrust and slash he got a little closer.

I dared a feint and was rewarded with a half-second of time extra to step away from a savage slice.

The chainsaw ripped apart any surface it touched, sending bits of debris scattering against my forcefield, whittling its reserves.

The end of the warehouse was approaching. An open area was beyond it, no cover to stop his barrage or prevent a full swing.

My other choice was to continue the chase around the entire warehouse, but that wasn’t progress.

One of the grunts was already stirring.

_Out of options._

I ducked under a slash meant to bisect me and used my bent position to roll backward just as my powder-covered swarm descended.

A wave of bugs covered him, biting at his neck and trying to enter through his ears. His mask was sealed around his face, preventing my army from entering his mouth, eyes, and nose.

Nothing punctured the skin, and something stopped them from tunneling deeper into his ear.

_Does his stronger glow prevent my bugs from attacking him in any sense? Or could the glow be focused to block those kinds of attacks?_

The gang leader snarled in annoyance. “Insects? I’ve never heard of a Semblance as pathetic as insect control.” _Semblance?_

A sudden half-step jerked some of my bugs off him. He whipped his weapon up in a quick slice across the front of his body to bat away my swarm.

_Perfect._

As soon as the chainsaw connected with the explosive powder on the bugs, they _exploded_. A chain reaction of sparks, fire, and electricity burst all around him.

Almost all of my swarm vanished with the wave of heat and light.

Smoke and brimstone flavored the air. Small patches of flames spread across the blackened ground.

It was way more powerful than I thought it would be.

A few flies went to check on him. I hoped he wasn’t dead.

I blinked in disbelief and my jaw hung open.

He stepped through the smoke, not a scratch on him, ignoring the flames around him.

He brushed some ash from his mask, then revved up his chainsaw once more. Its murderous song drowned out the crackle of flames and dust.

“Enough tricks, _girl,_ ” he snarled, and then he was upon me.

No bugs to follow his movements and predict his actions.

My grip was an iron clamp on the trigger of the knife.

He stabbed forward with a one-handed strike, and I was forced to dodge towards the warehouse wall.

_Got to move or I’ll be pinned—_

He sprung his trap.

With a huff of victory, he stepped forward, around the chainsaw, and slammed his palm against the upper part of the weapon’s handle. A brutal, forceful reversal of the weapon’s forward momentum that redirected it to pin and butcher me against the wall.

My footing was off, buffeted from my back hitting the wall. Nowhere to go.

Trapped.

Dead.

I raised my knife to block. A futile last-ditch act of desperation.

_Everyone, I’m sorry. For everything._

The thunderous rumble of the chainsaw couldn’t mask the gentle hum of a blade meant to cut through Endbringer flesh whirring to life in my hand.

The blades connected and there was a moment of resistance, the spinning teeth almost ripping the knife from my grip, a single instance where I was sure I was dead.

Then the chainsaw was split in half.

Chainsaw links flew apart, stabbing into my side with a volley of painful stings and embedding themselves into the warehouse wall.

Something rippled and broke.

My glow vanished and twin shocks of agony lanced from my thigh.

I pushed through the pain, and the knife continued forward.

Black glow shimmered and shattered.

His left arm, from the middle of his bicep down, fell and hit the ground with a meaty slap. A thin line that quickly stained red appeared down his side to mark where the blade’s tip had gouged him.

A primal howl erupted from the gang leader as he clutched his bloody stump.

_Just be glad I didn’t burn it off. Hurts way more._

Blood pooled out in heavy slops along with his heartbeat. His cries echoed throughout the docks as he teetered backward.

“You! You human shit! I’ll kill you!” he thundered at me.

He lunged to grab me, but a weary swipe separated two of his fingers.

We both staggered away, struggling to stand, each movement haggard and painful.

He persisted and charged once again. A dying rhino lumbering with all it had left.

I didn’t have the energy to fully get out of the way.

Instead, I sidestepped and tripped him.

He couldn’t correct his footing or direction and fell with a grunt, blood splattering from his wound.

He fought to push himself up, arm trembling as he leveraged himself into a kneel.

The perfect height for me to slam the butt of my dagger into his temple, cracking his white mask.

Finally, he teetered over, unconscious.

I wheezed a few breaths. Two of the chainsaw teeth stuck out from my leg, light trails of blood running from each of them.

The knife’s blur visibly slowed until it stopped, its hum ending.

His breathing was slow. I needed cloth to stop his bleeding and for a tourniquet. Then I would check on the others—

My senses lurched as one of the goons in the warehouse, miss face-dent, got to her feet.

 _Shit_.

I holstered my knife and drew my gun. One bullet. Had to make it count.

Bugs that had been watching the perimeter of my range had finally arrived, but my swarm was a fraction of what it had been.

The city was too clean and too industrialized for lots of bugs to propagate, so I hadn’t had many to begin with.

My knees almost buckled from a single step. No way to run.

I marked the grunt’s slow trod through the warehouse. She swayed and limped, then seemed to straighten slightly, her gait smoother and faster.

She bent over and grabbed something, then again after another couple of steps. She didn’t notice the fly skittering down her hand and over the fist-sized explosive gem. Another bug found the rifle in her hands.

 _Fuck_.

I had no more bugs that could bite or sting. My bees, spider-roaches, and giant sword-wasps had been carriers for explosive bugs.

They tried for her eyes and nose, but something blocked them, a similar sensation to the gang leader. She swiped at the bugs but ignored them beyond that.

_The refractory period of the glow was that quick? Wait, fuck!_

I hadn’t seen her glow shimmer, not like the others. There had still been an impact and pain from being hit. Not as much as there should have been, but a muted blow to the head could still knock someone out.

That meant she still had her glow left.

I leveled my gun, ignoring how heavy it seemed.

Her mask was off and hood down, revealing short violet hair. Golden eyes inflamed with rage and winged by reptilian scales aimed at me.

“You should surrender now or—”

“You bitch!” she cut in. Venom seeped in every syllable. “You all just think you can put us down like animals for being Faunus!” _Faunus?_ “Well, not anymore. I am not _less_ than you are! _We_ are not less!”

She positioned for a throw while bugs moved to cling to it.

“Look, I don’t—”

“For the White Fang!” She hurled the gem at me.

I lined up the fly at the end of my gun and the ones on the gem.

Time slowed as the red crystal flew through the air.

She was raising her rifle, at me or the gem, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t afford either with the glow.

The rest of my swarm formed a buffer between us.

I exhaled and squeezed the trigger.

The bullet clipped the gem mid-flight.

The world went red with flames.

**Chapter 4 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Fwee, ccstat, Majigah, and Breakingamber for making this pretty.
> 
> So, the White Fang grunts have Aura. Why? This is more of the White Fang unlocking the Aura of their members, so they can be used as soldiers. No training, just a general enhancement.
> 
> As for the White Fang ‘Lieutenant’—the fans refer to him as ‘Banesaw’—the reason he didn’t annihilate Taylor was because of how slow and crude his fighting style was. If he had gotten a hand on her, it was game over. She’s pretty weak compared to… all the main characters, minor ones too. 
> 
> RWBY fighting is difficult to translate to paper, but I hope this did some justice. 


	5. King Takes Pawn

* * *

_ Taylor _

I felt everyone around me; thousands under my control.

They moved in perfect, harmonized coordination. A slave march.

Hundreds attacked, hundreds supported, hundreds defended.

I stood in a dome of hexagon portals, conducting them all in their funeral song.

Scion waved his arm.

The sparks in my mind were snuffed out in droves—

* * *

I shot up and regretted it instantly.

My previous exhaustion and the pains from the battle had cozied up to my senses while I was unconscious, ready to wake up with me in full force.

Bile sat in the back of my throat, either from the explosion or the nightmare.

I didn’t realize I had slumped back to the ground until the slight sting of the impact hit.

A piercing white noise rang in my ears, drowning out the world. Thoughts slipped through my fingertips, and my body was unresponsive, trembling and twitching instead of moving.

I waited. It was all I could do, besides worry and panic.

It didn’t feel like a concussion, but after being rag-dolled by an explosion, I didn’t trust myself to accurately tell how bad my injuries were.

A part of me started planning my response if one of the gang members walked over. Another part, the broken piece that pressed into my mind like sand against skin, thought it would be better if they killed me before I recovered.

What was left of my swarm thrashed and buzzed in a cacophony of what I felt.

There were only twenty-two bugs left, mostly flies and gnats.

The explosion and heat must have killed—

_ The explosion _ .

My bugs surveyed the devastation around me.

The leader was dead. Half his side felt like burnt flesh.

Same with purple hair. Pieces of the chainsaw had been launched from the explosion like grenade shrapnel. Several small pieces stuck out of her torso and one large one protruded from her neck.

The grunts I had first knocked unconscious were the next closest and had been thrown from the force of the explosion, but both still lived. I was glad.

Thankfully, the rest were alive as well, also unconscious.

The one who I had slammed into the warehouse door frame had also caught some shrapnel, though the bleeding was minimal.

Slowly, the world gained clarity.

One of the warehouse roofs glowed with embers that wafted a gentle stream of smoke. A large black detonation mark stained the burnt ground from where the gem exploded. Broken bits of concrete and shards of warehouse wall littered the area.

My stump throbbed from the heat and fire.

The ringing in my ears eased, only to be replaced with the faint groans from some of the fallen gang members around me, along with a distant jet engine hum.

The authorities were coming. Not surprising. That last blast hadn’t been subtle.

I needed to leave.

Two people were dead.

I fought with clenched teeth to a sitting position.

The chainsaw teeth bit into the muscle every time my leg moved. It would get worse if I left them in.

I tugged the cloth over my face free, balled it up, and bit it.

_ One, two— _

My jaw clamped down as I ripped out the first chainsaw tooth in my leg.

I hissed around the gag and gripped the second one.

My vision went red, a cloud of dizzy nausea storming in, but it cleared quickly in the clarity of pain. Every part of me felt like it was being poked by needles, except for where I pulled out the teeth. There, I was being stabbed by knives.

I spat out the gag and used it to wrap the two gouges. It was the best I had. They would have just cut into my leg with every step, and this way my glow would be able to heal them when it returned… whenever that was.

The explosion hadn’t hit me as badly as I thought. I wasn’t burned, at least.

I dragged my feet under me, inhaled, then forced myself to stand.

A choked cry bounced in my throat from the effort, but I was up.

I looked at the damage around me.

Two dead, several hurt, one possibly crippled. All to stop a robbery.

I turned, ashamed, from my hollow victory and limped away.

Each step was a battle against pain, dizziness, and exhaustion.

I was so tired, physically and mentally. More than any time I remembered.

Then again, my jumbled thoughts weren’t exactly reliable.

My gun was gone, thrown from my hand in the blast. Baton was too far away to grab and unusable anyway. The dragline had been burned to cinders.

All I had left was the nano-thorn dagger, which I doubted would ever start up again, and an empty magazine for a gun I didn’t have.

Defenseless.

The sound of engines grew louder despite the distance I had hobbled. Though, that wasn’t very far.

The salt of the ocean was even crisper to my nose after the traces of gunpowder and ash were gone. It was too dark to see the waves, but I heard their gentle rhythm against rocks and sand accompanied by the metal of the docks groaning in the breeze. Nostalgic.

A large maze of shipping containers lined my path. Lanes marked with signs to catalog them seemed to go on endlessly down the coast.

My swarm guided me through the darkness. I slowed to a silent shuffle, trying not to aggravate any wounds. 

Suddenly, the glow of two flashlights danced through the space between the crates, and a bombastic voice echoed down the corridor containers. 

“Hello! Are you there? Hello? We aren’t here to harm you! We just want to talk!”

_ Shit, they know about me being here and are already searching. _

The meager number of bugs I had picked up on the way went to scout.

“Peter… I don’t think shouting like that while having your weapon out will help us…” an older female’s shy voice began but faded into an almost inaudible murmur.

“NONSENSE!” the male bellowed, sounding like he was boasting to a room full of people as he spoke. “My voice embodies inspiration! There was one time I was able to encourage a whole battalion of troops to…” I blocked out the long-winded story of supposed heroics the man spouted.

My bugs found them, though, his voice made their location easily noticeable. Two lanes over to my left.

I turned right at the next corner and hurried down a farther lane, disappearing around the corner before they spotted me at the crossroads.

Honestly, the babble made the man seem comical, but no trap worked if it was obviously dangerous.

A bug found two soaked paths running down my leg.

_ Fuck _ .

I was bleeding from the chainsaw wounds.

Thin droplets trailed behind me from my leg. An easy path straight to me.

My eyes closed in resignation as the plan popped into my mind.

_ This is going to suck. _

I slipped my hand under my makeshift bandage and pressed down.

Hot agony flared out, shadowing everything. Warmth drained with my blood.

Ragged gasps and a dizzy spell were my reward, along with a hand dripping crimson.

I flicked my hand down a lane of crates, sending a red splatter down it. Not too much to seem deliberate but still noticeable. Then, I smeared a bloody handprint on it, like I had stopped and used the wall for support.

Bugs lapped up any droplets that marked where I was actually going. I used my sleeve to absorb a bit of the wet blood where it was dripping from, before scurrying in the opposite direction of my false trail and around a corner.

None too soon.

“O-ho! See this, Peach!

“Oh dear! She must have been injured in the Dust explosion!”  _ ‘She’. They knew it was me? How? Also, Dust? _

“Indeed, it was a rather harrowing scene.”

“It was A TOTAL WASTE! SUCH AN UNREFINED AND NEEDLESS EXPLOSION! THERE IS A RATIO FOR DUST THAT MUST BE KEPT! NOT FOLLOWING PROPER SAFETY PROCEDURE FOR DUST IS THE ENEMY!” the calm voice of the woman filled with fanatic energy as she roared her claim to the heavens. The flashlights illuminated her ominously, her hands curling in an almost maniacal fashion at her sides.

_ What the fuck? _

“Of course! Let us continue our search!” Peter agreed, not seeing anything out of the ordinary with Peach’s change in demeanor. “Quickly! The game is afoot! This way!” He took the bait.

Her Hyde serum apparently wore off as her posture transformed back. “Peter, I don’t think hearing that would inspire ease—”

“Please, miss! We only want to assist you!” he said as he sped off.

The bug in her hair caught her head shaking before following the man.

I dared a peek around the corner at my pursuers; my bugs confirmed their backs were to me, and their flashlights gave off just enough of a glow to make them out.

The two figures were rounder in appearance, but while I would call the man stocky, plump fit the woman better.

Neither was in a uniform, police or otherwise. Meaning they most likely were independents of some kind.

The man had short gray hair that parted down the middle and wore a burgundy suit with gold trim. What looked like a blunderbuss with battle-ax blades on the handle was strapped at his side..

The woman was in… a lab coat? Her hair came to her shoulders and curled like a single wave around her head. It was also a faint orange, that flowed into pink at the ends. A silver square metal backpack with six black handles piercing the exterior contrasted with the meek presence she gave.

First bright yellow hair, then violet, now orange to pink gradient? Either dyed hair was a popular custom, or their natural colours matched the prominent hues of the world.

Another reluctant squeeze let me repeat my trick down the lane.

Then, I squeezed between two containers and used the bars that marked the container doors to begin climbing.

The progress was slow, but it was better than trying to outrun them.

“How marvelous!” He sounded… overjoyed?

“What is it?”

I was able to just bring my leg up and hook my foot on the edge of the roof of the container, letting me pull myself up and roll onto the surface.

“Why, Professor Peach. We’ve been bamboozled!” He stopped to laugh heartily. “A false trail! Most impressive.”

A large group of bugs managed to pick up the empty magazine I had left, though it was shaky.

“The other way it is!” They turned in my direction.

The magazine fell with a quiet clang farther in the direction of my first false path.

I was worried they wouldn’t hear it, but both turned with surprising speed.

“A feint of a trap! Ingenious!” he called out as both ran toward the sound.

He’d called her ‘Professor Peach’. So, they were from a school or research group? One that was  _ armed _ .

The possibility they knew about my bug control shot up. Capture and study were a much more real concern than the police now.

I lay flat on the cool metal of the shipping container, gazing up into the sky. A short rest that I desperately needed.

My mind flashed through images of the gang members, coming up with reasons as to why I’d been right to engage.

All after the fact.

Mrs. Yamada had called me on it before. Post-rationalizing my decisions.

My stomach vibrated with a dull need that echoed the soreness and fatigue I felt.

A shift in the wind and a blinding flash zipped by my bugs. My eyes widened, and I rolled back down between the two shipping containers. I caught one of the bars and felt the vicious tug of holding my weight.

The strain of holding myself up burned. The stars in my eyes faded to black, my head lulling with them.

I bit my lip hard. The pain kept me from fainting.

A moment passed before someone landed on the crate I was on. Heels sent hollow clangs as the woman walked across it.

My breath caught as she stepped over me.

A bug landed on her cape but fell off as she bounded off with another leap.

With that level of strength, they had to be glow users.

Bad to worse. Another group with glow reinforcing their bodies. It was more common than I’d hoped.

I wasn’t sure if my glow was returning. There was something there, a paper-thin puddle where a pond had been. My current condition probably didn’t help with recovery.

Fighting another person or group with the glow was impossible at the moment. Especially if they had more members that were competent in its use, like the leader and the swordsman had been.

I rolled back up and rested for a few minutes, willing my wounds to clot enough to not leave another trail.

As soon as there weren’t any obvious pursuers in the vicinity, I dropped down with a pained grunt.

Airships with searchlights surrounded what I guessed was the site of the explosion. Another was patrolling around, looking for me.

I continued in the opposite direction.

The area that housed the shipping containers made way for factory buildings. I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes to the streetlamps running down the sidewalks. 

Smokestacks with faint wisps of steam towered above the large buildings, and odd steel lockers ran along one of the large walls—fifteen feet long with a futuristic look to them. More tinkertech.

My bugs couldn’t find an opening to discover their contents.

I had learned about some of the dangers of the world, but nothing that would actually help me.

Though, with my answers came even more questions. The glow. ‘Dust’. The ‘White Fang’. Whoever the group currently chasing me was.

The amount I cared about the answers dropped with every moment as pain took the place of adrenaline.

Weights on my eyes, limbs that felt like lead. No place to sleep. Alone. Not to mention—

I turned my head and caught a glisten of light shining off a lens. My sparse swarm had let it slip through the cracks right until it was too late.

We stared at each other before I heard a clinking sound followed by clanks of metal on concrete coming from behind me.

The odd locker had opened to reveal three robots stepping out of them.

They were humanoid, completely dull gray except for very small sections of a deep blue on their legs, chest, and visor. A badge was painted on each of their chests, which was partially blocked by the long sleek rifles they carried.

“This is the VPD. Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground. I repeat, put your hands on your head and get down on the ground. You have been marked as a suspect in an ongoing investigation,” a robotic voice faking inflection announced as they raised their rifles at me.

I wouldn’t make it to around the corner before they shot me, and I didn’t have enough glow to trust taking the bullets.

Too tired to run anyway.

Why should I?

Barely a day with full agency, and I had a body count. I didn’t directly kill them, or mean to, but the guilt was there, and the stories that could be spun from my actions weren’t pretty.

They never were.

At least this seemed to be some form of police.

I sighed and raised my hand to my head, wincing from sore muscles as I knelt to the ground. I waggled my maimed arm but was too tired to find any humor in it.

In a way, I guessed this was inevitable.

I might have to escape later, but for now, a jail cell was technically a place to stay for the night.

Two of them moved to my sides while the third holstered its rifle and produced a pair of thick steel handcuffs.

“You have been registered as a witness and possible participant to an active crime. Please comply with law enforcement personnel until you can be questioned. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.” The robot’s mechanical voice continued to read out an exact copy of the Miranda rights as they moved to cuff me.

A robot police force? That was an impressive feat of technology if this world didn’t have tinkers. Especially if their programming was sophisticated enough for them to be first responders to potentially tense and dangerous situations like these.

Though, the Miranda rights were what shocked me. Besides the odd coincidence in their wording, it meant I might get a fair hearing.

Then again, Earth Bet had them too, so maybe it wasn’t that promising.

The robot froze as he went to grab my missing arm and saw nothing there.

Maybe not as finely programmed as I thought.

After a moment, the robot cuffed my hand to its own and then pulled my hand behind my back.

_ Well, I guess that works too. _

The sound of an airship approached rapidly. A spotlight blinded me as the vehicle’s wing engines sent torrents of wind whipping through my hair and buffeting my body.

The aircraft landed in the street intersection, relieving me of the spotlight’s gaze.

A long oval cockpit bulged out of gray and black panels, which tapered to a thin tail at the end of the ship. Two plated bars of metal spiking out from the center compartment held long round engines that swiveled for vertical takeoffs and landings. Those were also marked with gray and black panels, along with two long air blades used to direct the propulsion of the engine’s thrust as well as stabilize the ships upon landing.

More robots and a pair of officers exited the ship.

The cops were both wearing aviator sunglasses despite it being night, along with light jackets over buttoned shirts with black ties and dress pants.

One had slicked-back brown hair and a thinly trimmed beard, while the other was cleanly shaven with chestnut hair that was a spikey mess. The streetlights danced off the swaying badges on their necks. Pistols on their belts.

“Come on now, Miss, we have some questions for you down at the station.” His voice sounded like someone trying to do a Brooklyn accent.

"Of course, Officer," I responded hoarsely. My throat lit aflame from how dry it was.

He and his partner nodded to one another before they headed back to the aircraft they had arrived on. The robot I was handcuffed to began to march behind them, forcing me along with it.

After a few steps, another robot came to assist my struggling pace.

Soon, I was seated in the caged section of the ship.

A nap, even a short one to our destination, would be bliss.

I let myself drift off.

* * *

I smiled as the painkillers set in. A blissful numbness for my suffering body, and a band-aid for my ailing mind. They had set a small white patch on my skin before telling me it had administered the drug. I hadn’t felt any other effects, so I was reasonably sure it was just painkillers… but time would tell.

Bandages wrapped snugly around my leg and torso. I apparently had cracked a few ribs at some point.

Either my dulled sense of pain from Bakuda’s bomb or all the accumulated injuries had masked it. They told me it would heal in a day or so.

A  _ day _ . All thanks to my glow—or ‘Aura’, as they called it. It was nice to have a name for it, but regeneration at that level was amazing. It was probably why I wasn’t passing out.

My Aura was a steady trickle now, but not enough to bust out of an interrogation room, then a fully-manned police station. Doing so unarmed was even more foolish.

There were cops at desks, some doing paperwork while others were talking with people.

If a picture of the scene was shown to me, I wouldn’t have noticed anything different from a police station on Earth Bet.

Well, except for one cop with a lizard tail, sitting alone at his desk. No one spoke to him or approached.

It was a type of isolation that I knew well.

Though, instead of being a social pariah or scapegoat, it was probably because of his animal features.

All the other cops I had seen didn’t have animal features, from what I could tell. I guessed that it was some form of racism between humans and ‘Faunus’.

The violet-haired grunt’s words made sense in the context. Same with how the leader had called me a ‘ _ human _ shit’.

So, the ‘White Fang’ were some kind of terrorist gang for the Faunus? An extremist group fighting for equal treatment?

Why did people always find a way to divide themselves from one another?

My bugs flew through the vents and parked themselves in another spot to eavesdrop. I only had enough to mark each person and listen to one conversation. It was all I could manage with the bugs I’d gathered from the area around the police station.

I leaned back in my chair, careful not to tug the chain around my wrist, which was bolted to the table. A cautionary measure, since I was sure I could break it with enough glow.

I once again fought the small smile from how cliché the room was. It could have been plucked from any movie interrogation scene.

A single light with a gentle sway in a dimly lit room. One-way glass with someone watching me. Camera in the corner, focused on me. Another behind the glass. Time to let me stew; make me more nervous and pliable.

It was cute but futile. I was used to both sides of the table.

When the two officers who had picked me up finally arrived, I was a little annoyed at the disruption to my rest.

“Hello there, missy, my name is Detective Bruin and this is Detective Dunn. We’d like to ask you a few questions about what happened.”

“Ask away,” I rasped. They had offered water, but no matter how much I wanted it, I hadn’t drunk any. I couldn’t be sure if it was drugged or not. 

“First off, name?”

So, they didn’t have my name, or at least, didn’t know who I was yet. I didn’t remember this world, though that evidence was suspect, and I hadn’t noticed any obvious damage from Scion. And of course, I hadn’t been gunned down on sight.

This world might not know who I was or what I’d done. 

I took a deep breath, opened my mouth and froze.

Taylor had died a thousand little deaths, until all that was left was for Skitter to walk over the remains.

When all Skitter could do was stomp, through blood and dust and morals, Weaver took her place. A means to an end, an axe became a scalpel.

Khepri ripped through all three, a sacrifice and a cause that stood above all others, even when it should have stood with everyone.

Skitter, a lie from the start, who let the world shape her into its harsh mirror.

Weaver, the embodiment of a goal that had shed itself of everything in pursuit of it.

Khepri. The monster.

Was I Taylor? Could I be Taylor? The girl who‘d looked up at the sky and dreamed of flying like Alexandria, back when I’d thought heroes were all I wished they were? Who’d sat with her mom and argued over books, playing at adult’s arguments of themes and meanings with a motormouth and starry eyes?

_ Fuck. ‘Taylor’ isn’t some title to live up to. _

Even as the words ran through my mind I wasn’t sure if I agreed with them. After all, Taylor hadn’t ever hurt anyone.

“Taylor.”

“Surname?”

“Hebert.”

“Huh, odd name.” Was it? Bruin and Dunn weren’t totally uncommon surnames. Was ‘Taylor’ the odd one?

Detective Dunn flicked his hand, and the piece of metal he held snapped open into some kind of tablet.

He typed something before he turned to his partner. “She isn’t showing up in the system.”

My shoulders dipped a fraction from relief; they really didn’t know who I was.

“Are you lying to me, ‘Taylor Hebert’?” Detective Bruin asked me, saying my name like he was using quotations.

“No.”

“Then why aren’t you in the system for any of the Kingdoms. You born in an outside village or something?”

“Yes, I was,” I answered, smoothly latching onto the lie.

“Which one?”

_ Shit _ .

“It’s small. Not well known…”

“Try me.” I could feel Bruin’s eyes narrow as he leaned forward.

I blinked, and Tagg was there. Pushing me, waiting for Alexandria to come back with the bodies of my friends.

My bugs moved in.

Another blink and I was back. I shook the memory away, moving my swarm back to their positions.

_ Focus _ .  _ Breathe. _

“W-Washington,” I said quickly to cover the shock of my flashback.

There were more than eighty cities with the name, so it was the most generic answer I could think of off the top of my head.

I stifled a grimace and cursed myself for not thinking of a name in advance. I’d been too focused on resting and scoping the place out.

“I see.” He wasn’t outright denying my claim. So, they didn’t have a registry of names from people born outside this kingdom, or a list of towns either.

“Where is this ‘Washington’, Miss Hebert?”

“I can show you on a map.” Officer Dunn flipped his screen over to show me the world map.

Bugs spun and flew in a turbulent dance as I saw the world.

None of the continents remotely resembled any I had known. One of them was even shaped like a dragon. They were named Sanus, Anima, and Solitas. Solitas was painted white and sat firmly in the north; a large dot marked Atlas was the only city listed within it. In fact, there were only five dots named. The smaller villages weren’t even on the maps. On Anima, the city of Mistral was wedged between a sea and the ocean. Sanus, the largest continent, was the only one with two dots: Vacuo and Vale. Vacuo was in the middle of a desert, while Vale was by the ocean and hugged by mountains.

No snow or desert, so we weren’t in Atlas or Vacuo. The upper half of Anima, just north of Mistral, was covered in snow on the map. The weather was autumn cold, but not snow cold, so I guessed we were in Vale.

Only four main countries with one major town each? There wasn’t a distance scale for me to tell how big the world was.

‘Remnant’ was titled under the compass rose.

Was that the name for the world? A rather dramatic name, though with the moon, it might be both literal and symbolic.

A lone island in the corner of the map was labeled Menagerie, but I wasn’t sure if that was the town marked by a smaller dot than the others or the name of the island.

I committed the names to memory and slowly raised a finger to mark my ‘village’.

Odd choice of diction; ‘village’. The state of populated areas might not be as glamorous outside this city.

My bugs caught a new pair of people being escorted straight toward us. I tensed immediately.

One was a woman with a cape, and my bugs confirmed she was in heels. Just like the one who had been leaping about and searching for me in the shipping yard.

They entered the room behind the glass.

My bugs skittered and danced to my rising anxiety.

I focused again on the map and pointed to an area between Vale and Mistral. The shipping manifest I had seen was for ‘V. to Min.’ 

“It’s around here.”

My bugs picked up a long “Hmmmmmmm” from the caped woman’s companion, the one she’d followed behind—her leader or superior, most likely.

Hopefully, he hadn’t picked up on my lie.

“I see, that’s quite the journey then, Miss Hebert,” Bruin commented, seeming to buy the location I had given him.

Not much knowledge of the towns outside the Kingdoms. Lack of communication? No, they all had wireless computers in their pockets. Probably something to do with the monsters they were walled against.

I should have gotten arrested sooner; I had learned more about the world in two minutes than I had in my one day of clarity.

“What brings you to Vale?”

I hid my relief at my correct guess.

“Sight-seeing. Haven’t been to the big city before.”

A grunt of confirmation. He didn’t really believe me, but there wasn’t anything overly suspicious to catch me on.

“Can you give me your account on what happened tonight, Miss Hebert?” Dunn asked politely, finally joining in the questioning.

…They were doing a good cop, bad cop routine.

What was with this world?

“I was taking a stroll down the coast when I came across an armed group breaking into a warehouse. They commented on how they were planning on making another robbery that night after they had dropped off the Dust they had stolen. I decided to intervene,” I stated, being as general as possible.

“And you didn’t think to contact the police?” Bruin questioned.

“I didn’t have the means to call anyone.”

“No Scroll?” Dunn asked with genuine confusion and a little waggle of the screen in his hand.

“No. Not everyone in Washington has access to those.” I nodded my head at the device.

A moment of contemplation, then acceptance.

“Then what happened?” Dunn asked.

“I fought the group, who resorted to deadly force immediately. I was able to fight them off until one of them got desperate and threw a large chunk of Dust at me.” I steeled my face. “They shot at it, which caused the explosion.”

“So, you just came across a group of armed criminals and decided you would do a good deed for the day? Trying to be a Huntress? Play hero?” Bruin nodded sarcastically as he spoke, his tone both questioning and disbelieving.

“I  _ needed _ to help.” Dunn seemed impressed with my ‘conviction’, but I heard the desperation behind it.

My eyes shut for a fraction longer than they should have as I blinked, the only sign of my inner turmoil.

The world and my thoughts swam around me, blended and confused.

I really needed a break, to collect myself. Work through everything.

“Could you give us a play-by-play?”

“Of course.”

I summarized what happened, slipping into the cadence of when I gave mission reports as a Ward. It was familiar, calming even.

They nodded along while I went through each action. I was vaguer than needed but wasn’t called out on it. They seemed impressed. I guessed they weren’t used to orderly accounts like that.

Afterward, a beep sounded from Dunn’s computer, which led to Dunn pulling Bruin back and whispering into his ear.

“If you’ll excuse us, Miss Hebert,” Dunn said before they both left the room.

They hadn’t asked why I had weapons on me in the first place. Was it a common practice? Maybe that was why they hadn’t confiscated them during my hospital stay.

My bugs hadn’t found my flight pack in the hospital. I just hoped it was either broken garbage or somewhere it wouldn’t be found. I didn’t have an explanation for tinkertech.

I waited with bated breath for my next round of questioning, or my sentence.

Instead, the caped woman’s companion entered the room.

He was a silver-haired man with small round shaded spectacles on the end of his nose.

A green turtleneck covered by a black suit that gleamed with bronze buttons hugged his tall frame.

I stood at just under six feet without shoes. This man was easily another half a foot taller than me, about the same height as Brian.

Two mugs were in his hands, steam lightly wafting into the air. He sat down in the chair across from me, looking comfortable and content as he sipped his drink before setting the other mug in front of me.

A waft of chocolate and steam made my stomach rumble and my mouth fill with saliva. I was so hungry, so thirsty, yet I couldn’t be sure if the drink was safe.

I forced my eyes away from it.

The caped woman slipped in the door behind him and stood outside the light. She was a few inches taller than me, not counting her heels.

Her stern look was reflected in her outfit; a pleated white top with a black pencil skirt. Her blonde hair was in a neat bun, and her cape ended in swerving tatters that looked purposeful in design. A straight and professional stance, not a hair out of place.

She was beautiful in the way Alexandria was—had been. Someone whose strength and presence were what you’d notice before their amazing looks.

Either they were part of the police force, their PRT equivalent, or they were a group with enough connections to get in here regardless.

If it was the second, I would have to be ready.

Break the chain and slam the table into the man while my bugs distracted the woman. Kick open the door with my Aura and get to the armory my bugs had found.

“Cocoa,” the man claimed with a small smile that was covered by another sip. “I find it a small comfort to help get through the day.”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, of course. Pardon my manners. My name is Ozpin. I am a professor and headmaster of Beacon Academy here in Vale,” he recited. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hebert.”

A headmaster, as in a principal? Was this man the head of a school and not part of the police? Then why was he here?

He must have noticed my quick glance at the woman as he continued, “And this is Professor Goodwitch.” He made a slight gesture, and Goodwitch gave a small nod in response.

“Do you know why I’m here, Miss Hebert?” Ozpin asked. He spoke with a certain authority that wasn’t forceful, but rather reassuring. The type that thought they were giving genuinely good advice from a place of thoughtfulness. Arrogant in its own way, yet kind.

“No. I thought I was being held by the police, not a school,” I prodded.

“I oversee some of Vale’s operations.” That felt like an understatement. “Also, any conflict that might require a Huntsman is brought to my attention.” There was no indictment in his tone but I still felt the ‘as everyone should know.’

A principal and the head of the local elite response team—I assumed that was what Huntsmen were. Not to mention that I suspected he had much more say in decisions than his position implied.

I almost laughed at the irony.

Truly, I had met my arch enemy.

“Also, it was one of my prospective students that found you. On top of the brutal injuries you’d received, it was more than enough to be a situation I asked to be updated on.” Another sip from his mug.

So, Ruby was a student of some kind.

“How are you feeling, Miss Hebert?” Concern touched his voice, honest even. Or maybe he was just a good liar.

“I just got blown up. So, okay, I guess.” His chest leaped in a soundless chuckle while I saw the scowl on Goodwitch’s face deepen for a moment.

“I was referring to your  _ other  _ injuries.”

“I’m alive.” The weight of the sentence was more than Ozpin could have possibly understood.

“Indeed.” Another smile. “Do you mind drawing up your emblem, Miss Hebert?” He pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen that he set beside the still-steaming mug in front of me. “It would help in better identifying you.”

A test?

I moved my arm up enough for the chain to go taut, to show off the two inches of movement I had.

“A simple matter.” He pulled out the key and unlocked the handcuff without a worry.

He was either careless or didn’t see me as a threat. Probably Aura trained then. My bugs hadn’t found any turrets or defenses in the room.

I instinctively tried to rub my wrist but ended up waving my stump in front of myself awkwardly. I was trying to be more aware of it being missing, but there was always another ingrained motion or habit that reminded me that it was gone forever.

“I lived outside the kingdom so there won’t be any records of me,” I responded quickly.

“That’s fine, just use the emblem you were given at birth and we’ll use it to identify you now.”

An emblem… So, everyone in Remnant got a mark or something to I.D. them? I glanced at Ozpin and noted his eyes. There was the barest flicker to acknowledge my glance. This fucker was testing me.

“I don’t have an emblem.”

He smiled even more. More satisfied than impressed with the answer, like I was meeting his expectations. I didn’t like it.

“People with Aura, mostly Huntsmen and Huntsmen in-training, as well as higher military officials, wear a symbol or emblem that is unique to them. This is to help identify them if something unfortunate were to occur, but it is also to help people further identify with their clothing and equipment. Thus, making it easier and more efficient for them to strengthen and protect it with their Aura,” he explained, watching my reaction to each bit of information.

There was an efficiency aspect to Aura. Great, another list of questions needing answers.

If identification helped with Aura, then unfamiliar clothes meant it hindered Aura use? Or was it a matter of liking the armor? Or both? Or did Aura have an effect on objects that it was used on enough that made them easier to channel Aura through?

“So, it is not unnatural for you not to have one,” he concluded.

I had called his bluff and passed. My mounting dislike for the man spiked slightly, but if he needed to test me, then I would go along with it.

“But I wanted to ask anyway,” he continued. “You were able to battle a squad of dangerous criminals by yourself. Days after leaving a hospital with severe injuries.” Goodwitch’s frown deepened. “Then you proceeded to avoid capture from several of the finest Huntsmen I know. All while injured and without Aura. Thus, I assumed that perhaps you were part of a group, or trained in some way.”

“It was just something I picked up along the way.” He was fishing, but I wouldn’t bite. Besides, there were too many ways I could draw suspicion with how little I knew about the world. Well, any more than what I’d already drawn.

“May I ask why you left the hospital, Miss Hebert?” Ozpin continued, no ire or suspicion in his tone still.

Saying ‘I thought everyone around me was an enemy waiting to attack, trap, or kill me, so I fled to heal and to prepare to kill or enslave them’ wasn’t going to endear me to anyone.

“I didn’t know where I was. I’d been shot in the head, so I was understandably confused.” The use of my injury made Goodwitch’s face falter but not Ozpin’s.

Ozpin took a long drawn out sip from his mug, nodding in satisfaction at the drink. “Is that the only thing you didn’t know, Miss Hebert?”

“Why do you ask?” My words were slightly too quick and tinged with ice. I was getting tired of this game where he asked questions he obviously already knew the answer to.

He was leading this conversation at every turn, and I didn’t have the position or knowledge to turn things around.

“It just so happens that a concerned citizen made a call to the local police, describing a young woman, matching your description perfectly, who was acting strangely. He stated that she was confused by the state of the moon.”  _ Damn it. _ “Not only that, but knowledge of emblems is fairly common.”

I sighed. Too many mistakes. How was I going to play this?

“I want you to know that you’re not in trouble in any way. Someone shot you, Taylor, twice in the back of the head. Such an injury can cause serious issues to a person if they are lucky enough to survive,” Ozpin stated calmly.

_ Yes, but I don’t think those issues usually include ‘getting trapped in another universe’. _

“Memory loss is one of these issues.” It wasn’t the comment that froze me, it was the shift in his tone. Like it was a proposition almost. Was he trying to say that I should use amnesia as my excuse for all this? Or was he questioning if I really did have amnesia?

Every answer to the question was bad. For what purpose would Ozpin have to… Unless he suspected me of being from another world maybe? It would be a long leap in logic, unless dimensional travel had happened in this world?

It was stupid to hope. Idiotic. I doubted I would be left on another world if there was a method to travel back to Bet. And dimensional travel couldn’t possibly be easy to accomplish, no matter how advanced this world appeared to be. It was a hopeless idea born from my desire to see my friends and my dad again.

And I couldn’t let it go.

Was I really going to play at being an amnesiac?

How cliché. A girl, shot in the head for unknown reasons, runs away from the hospital after surviving her injuries, all while lost in an unfamiliar world.

Mom would have liked the story. She loved stereotypical settings that pushed boundaries or tried something new. I was certain that my situation counted as new, if anything.

…Mom. Her grave was gone, along with all of Brockton Bay.

_ Don’t think about it. _

“I… I woke up, and I had no idea where I was. I knew my name and basic things. But I can’t remember where I came from or where I should go.” I grew more confident as I spoke. It was technically the truth.

“I see. May I ask if you have any idea of what it is you would like to do?”

“I…” It was the million-dollar question. Where could I go after giving up everything, choosing death, and then having to live with the guilt of it all? How could I come back from that—how could I  _ give _ back from that. “I’m not sure. There are no records of me. I don’t have any money or other clothes. My first concern was finding a place to sleep. I haven’t really made a plan beyond that.” I really hadn’t.

“We will assist you, provide you with the resources you need to set yourself up in town, if you so desire.” 

A normal life. I could stop. I hadn’t really considered or really wanted it. An opportunity to finally stop fighting. I wouldn’t always be thinking of the next battle, the next compromise or sacrifice. Usually it was both. 

That kind of peace was tempting. Scarily tempting, like a monkey’s paw. I didn’t like it. I still had my powers, I could still do things. And I had a lot to make up for.

I waited for the follow-up I knew was coming.

“There are a number of jobs within the city. You’ve already seen the shipping yard.” The lead-up. “There is also the opportunity for someone of your caliber to help fight more crime like you did tonight. To do some good for the world.” The magic words. Damn him.

“Does stuff like this happen a lot?” I sounded more hopeful than I had wanted to.

“There has been a recent increase in Dust robbery and smuggling. We didn’t know the White Fang were involved until now though.” If he noticed my tone, then he didn’t show it.

I kept my face blank, the mask that I had developed through countless conflicts and situations more familiar than my everyday expressions.

“Also, we are always looking for able-bodied individuals to help combat the ever-present threat of the creatures of Grimm outside the city walls.” Again, he seemed to be fishing for recognition from me to see what I ‘remembered.’

_ Grimm? _

“Would those be the black-furred bone armored things outside the walls?” I took a shot in the dark.

“You are correct. I’m glad that they are something you are still familiar with. It is always good to know who the enemy is.” He nodded.

_ Wait _ . “ _ We  _ are always looking?” I inquired.

“Ah yes. As I said, I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. A school that teaches young individuals how to battle the forces of Grimm—a place to train future Huntsmen and Huntresses.” Not exactly a subtle invitation at this point.

“What  _ are _ the Grimm? What do they do?”

He grew solemn and took the chance to empty his mug with a final sip. “The Grimm are monsters.” His eyes were distant, cold. “They seek negative emotions and kill. That is all they do. Wander and kill. A blight on all living beings. They are a foe that the world has united against for all of history. A constant threat we fight to push back.”

“Are they intelligent?”

“Only so far as how they attack and fight. They are not compassionate or empathetic to suffering of any kind. A true evil on the world.”

“What is it that Huntresses and Huntsmen typically do?”

“Here is a brief summary that would probably be more informative,” he said while passing me a Scroll.

He already had the document open.

I sped through the words, both to ease my lack of knowledge and to once again indulge in the relief of still being able to read.

After I was done, I read it again, just to make sure the words were real. Then, I tried to do a search—the interface was very similar to Earth Bet’s internet browsers—just to see if I could, and to check if this was some intricate prank. It worked, and even more results, all confirming what I had already read, came up. Thousands of them. Too many to fake.

I set the Scroll down and stared at the table.

The Grimm. They were an infestation. A universal foe for all humanity.

A threat where I… where I didn’t have to worry about going too far.

There were no rules or games to consider with them, no politics, no chance to fight them in the wrong way.

Monsters. Plain and simple. While Huntsmen and Huntresses were the main bastions against them, providing protection and going out to thin their ranks.

Good versus evil. Almost storybook.

Being a Huntress was a way to help that wouldn’t mean making new enemies.

_ Was this it? Why I was left here? _

“May I ask how old you are? If you are unsure that is perfectly fine,” Ozpin asked, cutting through a silence I hadn’t realized was building.

“Uh, sorry. I turned eighteen just a few days before I arrived at the hospital.” An odd question, but I was having trouble focusing on why.

“You would only be slightly older than our first-year students then,” he confirmed for himself, abandoning subtlety entirely. I caught Goodwitch rolling her eyes, exasperated.

He didn’t inquire about how much I remembered about being shot, though I suspected he wanted to keep me away from a bad mindset for what he was pitching

“Are you offering me a place at Beacon Academy, Headmaster Ozpin?” Best to confirm.

He set his cocoa down and interlocked his fingers in front of his face, his gaze holding a slight intensity to them that hadn’t been there before.

“Miss Hebert, after getting shot and losing your memories, you wandered the city and encountered a group of dangerous criminals. Not only were you able to defeat all of them, you then used tricks and distractions to evade professional Huntsmen despite your injuries while leaving a false trail of blood for them to follow. All of this, and you’ve only had your Aura for two weeks.” Two weeks? It was nice to know how long had passed, but it was also disconcerting how the days blurred together while in the hospital. “ _ That _ speaks of the kind of intelligence and character of a Huntress.”

I thought he was overestimating me, but regardless.

My fist clenched as a cold hollow feeling clutched in my chest.

It was too good to be true. An offer like this, so soon after I arrived.

An answer to my worries of basic needs.

…Maybe even a chance to make up a little for what I’d done.

Would I get another opportunity like this if I refused?

_ Fuck _ .

“If… If I accepted, does that mean another person wouldn’t get the chance to attend?” Maybe it was to give myself an excuse to say no, or maybe it was because I didn’t believe I deserved all this. It was too easy, too  _ free _ . There  _ had _ to be a cost.

“All first-year students must participate in an initiation, which will be held the day after tomorrow. They must pass that to enroll. There are technically a limited number of spots for entry, but it is just as likely that we could have fewer students who pass than the total available spots.”

I would be fighting again. I… I didn’t quite trust myself to, but that wasn’t important. Not if I could… be  _ better _ this time, continue helping people.

That also meant being under Ozpin’s eye.

I didn’t trust him. There were too many tests, and he seemed too comfortable keeping secrets. Manipulative too, playing to my need for answers, a living situation, as well as my desire to do good.

He did seem honest in his reasons for why he wanted me in Beacon though.

I’d seen the walls and the Grimm, I knew there was a threat. It made sense that he would offer a potential asset a position to help that cause. I knew he had underlying motives. Maybe he liked the control, or he had some hidden agenda. Being at Beacon would help me figure that out.

Then there was school. I didn’t want to go back. After everything I had done, it felt... small and unimportant in comparison to what I was used to doing.

_ Was my path forward really one that meant I would be in what amounted to going to college? _

This felt like deciding to join the Wards and Protectorate all over again. Before, I had turned myself in because it was what I needed to do. It was something to help our chances for the end of the world. It wasn’t a choice; it was the next step. A position to build and coordinate more assets to better the world.

“You would be provided resources to learn and train yourself. Food and accommodations are included of course. And you would be learning essential skills to help protect the world from the Grimm,” he listed, pressing his pitch.

“Do I have to answer now?” I asked.

Everything I had experienced told me this couldn’t be real, a pipe dream, a road that would only let me down.

But I wanted it to be true, so badly.

_ After everything, please let this be real, for once. _

“The last group of new students is arriving tomorrow for roll call, while the initiation is the day after, our last one this year. It is the final scheduled time for first-years to enroll and all students are required to participate in both,” Goodwitch stated, almost like she was listing out rules to follow.

Meaning I didn’t get time to think it over.

An opportunity to change the direction I would take my life, to try and pick myself up after walking out of the grave, and there wasn’t any time to think it through.

“What… What is the school like?” I stalled, or maybe it was some niggling worry about going back to school, some attempt to ground myself to something normal or familiar.

“We train our students in a variety of subjects—history, Grimm studies, plant sciences, among others—but there is plenty of free time for them. Room and board are all provided.” His tone dropped with his smile into something more directed to me personally. “We make sure of the safety and well being of our students, Miss Hebert. We want them to enjoy their time at Beacon as well as train them to become the defenders of the world.”

He must have thought I was worried about how the other students would treat me instead of how I would treat them.

I’d used the Wards as assets; more soldiers for the cause, tools for my objectives. Like Khepri, in a way.

I’d treated them as allies instead of friends. Maybe that was why I’d never got as close to them as I had the Undersiders, despite spending more time with them. I had never really had the intention of being close to them in the first place.

At some point, I must have wrapped my arm around me because I was beginning to feel the strain of my fingers digging into my skin.

Four in. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

I couldn't do better if I didn't try.

“Will there be consequences if I drop-out? Am I allowed to if I feel it’s for the best?” I returned my gaze to Ozpin’s, matching his intensity if not exceeding it.

“Of course. Though, you would no longer be able to use the resources the school provides. We understand if some feel the need to leave.” He didn’t react to my stare, outwardly anyway. “No consequences or punishments.”

It wasn’t a choice before, but it was now. I felt that if I passed this up, I wouldn’t get another offer like it again.

I could walk away. Live with the guilt and disappear into obscurity.

I threw the notion away before I finished it.

What I had done  _ had _ saved lives. That had always been the goal.

Always.

Strength bloomed over the dull echo in my heart with a comfortable warmth. I didn’t realize my Aura was out until I saw the gray gleam over my unclenched hand.

This was a chance to help, and hopefully, learn to do it in a way that wouldn’t compromise when I shouldn’t, that wouldn’t give power to bullies.

There was really only one choice.

I looked him over, hunting for any signs that this was all some lie. Nothing.

“Yes. Please. If you’ll have me, I would like to join Beacon. I… I want to help.” My eyes were wet.  _ Damn it all. _

“Welcome aboard, Miss Hebert. I’m guessing you will need some accommodation for the night?” His small smile returned, though his eyes hinted that he was happy with my choice. I was starting to guess that it was his usual expression.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, then yes.”

“Then I believe we can set you up for a night at the Beacon dorms. Tomorrow is when the other students are going to be arriving, so you may not be staying in that particular room afterward. Provided you pass the initiation that is.”

“I don’t know how well I would do on a test without remembering the world that well.” I didn’t think Ozpin would offer me a spot that I couldn’t possibly get. “I’m guessing it is some kind of practical test then?”

“Perhaps. But more importantly, if you aren’t going to…” He gestured at the mug in front of me. I was so thirsty, but the part of me that still expected a trap slid it over to him. “Everyone needs a small comfort eventually,” he remarked before sipping from the new mug.

“Cocoa isn’t my cup of tea… Tea is.” I hadn’t meant to do that. “Also, am I under arrest or…?” I’d somehow forgotten that possibility.

All of this was wasted hope and useless mental crises if I couldn’t even make it to the initiation.

“Your account, the White Fang’s recent history, and a review of the crime scene, all have indicated the danger of the situation and given credence”—Goodwitch slowed a fraction before the word, obviously unhappy with the situation—“to how you dealt with it. Not to mention your condition. It has been determined that you will not be charged with anything,” she stated with a glare.

It wasn’t a hard stare that told me she wanted me in jail. No, she probably thought there should have been some kind of consequence. Frankly, I agreed.

“Two people are dead,” I said.

“Both from the explosion,” Ozpin countered.

“The one that I caused. I lied before. She threw the gem at me and prepared to shoot it when it was near me. I shot it before it landed.” An admission of lying and guilt; a challenge to his offer, character, and the situation. Or maybe I just thought killing someone shouldn’t be so easy.

Goodwitch blinked in confusion at me while Ozpin looked into my eyes.

“Your answer is enough for me to not blame you.”

“What?”

“Guilt is a powerful, dreadful, cruel motivator. It can break the best of us, and it sadly drives too many of those who don’t deserve it. Did you intend to kill those two?”

“No.” They were still dead.

“They died as a result of a split-second moment to defend yourself.” A statement, not a question. I didn’t bother to give a rebuttal. “Legally, you are safe. How you feel about it is what is important now, and what you do from now on even more so.”

I opened my mouth and closed it. I disagreed with him.

Adding sins to my tally wasn’t okay just because I felt guilty. I needed to change, to improve, to do better, so I wouldn’t repeat myself.

A million mistakes with good intentions, and promises not to repeat them, didn’t make up anything to the victims. Results did.

He motioned for me to follow and the three of us made our way to the roof where the airships were parked.

“Miss Hebert, while you did a service stopping the White Fang this time, please remember that we are teaching our students how to handle situations like this safely. We do not condone anyone trying to be a hero before they are ready,” Goodwitch said as we walked.

To others, it might have sounded condescending or harsh considering what happened, but she was right.

There should be consequences.

Though, every breath I took was in contradiction to that.

I simply nodded at her. She nodded back in understanding, a break in her stern expression.

“Additionally, we are having the other students arrive tomorrow afternoon. So, Miss Hebert, I expect the room you use to be in a  _ respectable _ state after use,” Goodwitch chided.

“Of course, Professor Goodwitch.” I almost laughed, going from scolding me about killing people to keeping my room clean.

The lift-off and trip to Beacon were done in relative silence beyond some small talk between Ozpin and Goodwitch about getting me set up, and minor things regarding the ceremony for the new students tomorrow.

I was more than thankful for the reprieve. I had slumped into my seat, and was only moving to stop myself from nodding off to sleep.

Since waking up in that alley, it had been one long struggle—with others, but mostly with myself.

My bugs vanished in the distance. I felt blind and anxious without them around me. I hadn’t kept any on me in case they searched me.

A small blip of a bug moved through my range as we flew once or twice.

Nearer to the ground…

I focused on each one relative to my position.

My range hadn’t changed since I’d been awake, stuck at around five blocks. My state of mind didn’t factor in at all anymore. Lower than the largest I’d had but still impressive.

There just wasn’t a reason why.

As Khepri, my range had been fixed, so maybe it was a byproduct of that. But then, how had my powers changed back? Was the connection to my Passenger different now? I remembered times in the hospital where I’d lost control of my bugs for odd periods of time. No apparent catalyst or common factor for each loss of power.

Those occurrences had become less frequent as time went on. Maybe my connection had healed more since then?

I sagged in frustration. There wouldn’t be any answers to questions about my Passenger. I was probably the only parahuman on Remnant.

Something caught my nose, and I almost gagged.

“Are you alright, Miss Hebert?” Goodwitch asked, stern even in her concern.

“I really need a shower.” My clothes were cut, stained with blood, ash, and dirt. “And some new clothes.” An angry, dying growl sounded from a stomach tired of being ignored. I didn’t comment on that, but they obviously heard.

“You haven’t eaten since…?”

“I’ve had a peach, a couple of slices of bread, and a single bottle of water since I got out of the hospital.”

“Miss Hebert, it’s been three days.”

“I know.”

“We’ll have some clothes and something to eat and drink in your room. Though, it’ll have to be a bland and small meal so you can adapt to eating again,” Goodwitch said.

“Thank you very much.”

“As for the rest of your essentials… Miss Adel of team CVFY should be in Vale, if I recall correctly. I believe she would be… eager for such a task as helping Miss Hebert shop,” Goodwitch remarked to Ozpin as she looked through a list on her Scroll.

“I agree, she would be… perfect for such a task. She would also make a good guide for the attractions around Vale for someone unfamiliar with the city. If she is willing of course.” Ozpin turned to me. “Otherwise, we may have to leave you to your own preparations after we have confirmed your I.D. for the Kingdom of Vale. None of the staff can leave the school while the students are arriving.”

“Of course, I understand.”

We landed promptly, bugs giving me a general sense of how massive Beacon was.

Ozpin parted with us, saying he looked forward to my initiation, and left my range, as Goodwitch led me through hallways and into an elevator.

A part of me said I should have been scouting the premises, but I didn’t. I ignored everything but the steps in front of me, counting each moment to food and water.

“This will be the dorm room you will be staying in,” Goodwitch stated.

“Thank you,” I murmured, on the edge of passing out.

A janitor, judging by the grayish-green uniform he was wearing, passed Goodwitch a set of clothes that she promptly thanked him for before handing them to me.

“I hope these will be acceptable until you can acquire some other clothes.”

“Anything is fine.”

“I expect you will be needing some supplies for your stay. You didn’t have a Scroll or any other identification on you when you were brought to the hospital. Tomorrow we’ll have to get that straightened out as well as gather some things for you.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry for the trouble. And thank you, again.” The painkiller was wearing off. At least the pain was keeping me awake.

“Also, the hospital did take the liberty of having you outfitted with a cybernetic neural up-link attachment. It might be a good idea to get fitted for a combat prosthesis,” Goodwitch said.

“A what?”

“The metal cap that has been attached to the end of your missing arm. It’s meant to act as an attachment port to work a robotic limb. It will take some time to make, but Atlas should be able to send it to Beacon within two weeks.”

Now I was attentive. If the robotic limb was anywhere near the level of the robot cops, it would be a massive step up compared to the prosthetic I was expecting to eventually get.

“Not that I would be against something like that but it sounds like a very expensive item for a new student who you just met tonight and hasn’t passed their initiation into the school yet.” Suspicious too.

“Considering your unique circumstances, Ozpin thought it best to make an exception.” More like ‘make an investment’.

“I see. I’ll think it over, but I’m unsure right now.”

“If that is your choice. Feel free to discuss it with Ozpin— _ after _ the initiation.”

“Alright.”

I wasn’t going to take the offer. I didn’t want to take any more advantage of their hospitality. I also didn’t want to be too indebted to Ozpin. He had enough leverage on me as it was, and I barely knew him.

The caliber of robotic limbs was something I would have to look into as well. If I was going to get one, I wanted it to be as functional as possible. I wasn’t sure if Ozpin would go for that, and if he did, it would be an even larger debt.

“It is no trouble, Taylor. We will see you in the morning.” Her heels clicked down the hall as I closed the door.

It was a simple room, but the things on the desk were all that interested me.

I almost dove for the smoothie, and it was gone too fast. Bland, smooth, and the taste was like porridge, but that didn’t matter—it was filling.

In the moment, I would have sworn it was the greatest thing I had ever tasted.

I wanted more, but knew it was best not to push it.

My filthy clothes fell to the floor in a bundle. Probably all garbage.

So much was happening so fast, and I was finally in a safe place to think things over.

I was asleep before I hit the pillow.

**Chapter 5 End**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, ccstat, Majigah, and Breakingamber!
> 
> We still haven’t gotten through Volume 1 Chapter 1 technically… so yeah.
> 
> Originally, I had Peach’s first name as ‘Jamie’ (though I never used it), for a James and the Giant Peach reference. Since then, it’s come out that her name is Thumbelina Peach. She teaches Plant Science canonically, but for this fic, she will also teach Dust Studies… because why the fuck would they mention a Plant Science teacher but not mention having a Dust class at all? Fucking RWBY: After the Fall.
> 
> Next episode is… shopping I guess?


	6. In An Ordinary Fashion

* * *

_Taylor_

Exhaustion gave way to a dreamless sleep that ended in a world and room I thought had been my imagination.

Remnant. Beacon. The White Fang. Being alive.

The rush of turbulent thoughts chained in the back of my mind escaped with every hyperventilation.

Seconds became minutes, frozen in thought, before I finally relaxed—well, forced myself to with deep breaths.

The room was sparse, waiting for four people to move in judging by the number of beds. Desks, lamps, a private bathroom.

I was alone on my floor, but I caught stray conversations on the others. I didn’t remember moving my bugs through the vents into spots to eavesdrop.

The other floors in the massive dorm building were mostly full. The students who had already finished their initiation had moved in. Upperclassmen wouldn’t arrive for a couple of days.

Gender separation didn’t seem to be a factor for the student’s living situations; boys and girls slept a few feet from each other.

A lot of people were out and about, but many of the students were sleeping in. Classes wouldn’t start until all the initiations were done.

The clock on the wall read eight twenty-eight. Far later than my usual routine. I had enough time for a shower and breakfast, but none of the research time that I wanted.

I still could have used more sleep, but my schedule wouldn’t wait.

My Aura made moving bearable. The skin around my two puncture wounds had scabbed over, the skin tinged pink around it—not the angry red that I expected.

I took the longest shower of my life, eyes closed as the warm water poured off of me. No thoughts, no existential crises, no threats. The grime, blood, and tension drained off me.

Toiletries had either been left behind by previous occupants or came with the room. Either way, I properly washed my hair for the first time in weeks. I made use of the nail clippers, razor, hairbrush, and deodorant.

For a moment, I felt new, strong, ready for the day.

Then, I looked in the mirror, and the leftover husk of Khepri stared back at me.

Gaunt cheeks and tired, red-rimmed hazel eyes glared back at a set of dimples on my forehead.

I gave up everything, mind, body, and soul, to bring everyone together in a way that betrayed what I had always strived for.

Yet, my punishment, the only reminder, was two small marks that a brush of makeup could mask.

Even my powers were back.

Now, I was being given room and board, all paid for, so that I could go to school. Complete a higher level of education. Another thing I had given up and was now being _rewarded_ with, after killing, after more mistakes.

I didn’t deserve it, but I needed it. More sins to do more good.

_Fucking hypocrite._

The girl in the mirror scowled, full of hate and fear for the fraud she saw.

Barely a full day and I’d already relapsed. I could have tried to find someone or searched for the warehouse offices to get a phone. If I had delayed them enough, they might have given up, or the authorities might have had enough time to arrive.

I could have even pulled back after injuring the first few. Instead, I’d continued my attack, and now, at least two people were dead over some petty thievery.

All my worries about the authorities had been fucking pointless, apparently. Yes, I wasn’t sure how they would respond, but _this_ was the alternative?

_There had to have been a better way._

I reared a fist back, ready to shatter the girl in the mirror. She held her pose, arm shaking and ready to attack. Bugs swarmed from every opening they could and buzzed wildly about the room.

My fist fell and ground into the sink counter. I hunched over so the mirror wasn’t visible.

“What the fuck was I supposed to do?” I whispered through clenched teeth.

There was no answer.

* * *

I wandered the halls of Beacon in the black tracksuit that had been left for me, and couldn’t help but wonder at how I had been able to ignore what Beacon looked like the night before.

Beacon was a cathedral of a school. Sprawling towers rose from the numerous faculty buildings while winding archways invited you down walkways and through gardens. Fountains and pools were oases of serenity that decorated the grounds. 

It was clean, far larger than I could cover with my range, filled with various machines and technology for what looked like combat training.

Everything was centered around an enormous lighthouse that scraped the sky. I bet I could have seen its faint emerald light from Vale.

It was a place that could have given Hogwarts a run for its money, both the Earth Aleph and Bet versions of it.

No expense was spared, and going by my accommodations, the students reaped the benefits.

I avoided who I could and wandered around, appreciating the scenery, and tried to get my head around the idea of being there every day.

The smell of food guided me down a path and through a set of double doors.

The cafeteria was a giant hall, several stories tall with enough space to feed hundreds at a time. Large windows and skylights lit the room from all angles with the morning sun.

I ordered a regular breakfast and gawked at what I got. The weight of the tray was noticeable in my hand. 

I wouldn’t have ever attempted to eat this much before, but hunger and thirst demanded I try.

It was everything I expected from a regular breakfast: eggs, bacon, hash, sausage, pancakes… The serving size was excessive, the mound in front of me never seeming to lessen no matter how much I ate. The people around me all had similar portions or even more.

Was it a difference in how the people here had evolved? Most looked like supermodels or professional athletes while eating enough for a family of four.

I tugged the utility belt hidden around my stomach so that my nano-thorn knife’s holster wouldn’t jab into me, then sat down away from the few people that were eating.

The room would probably be full when all the students arrived. Hundreds of students, all Aura users; terrifying in a way.

The meal wasn’t great, but it was the best cafeteria food I’d ever had. 

My bugs finally made their way to the top of the lighthouse structure, which turned out to be Ozpin’s office as well as a clocktower of sorts.

It was a round room with giant gears turning and grinding above. A window behind Ozpin’s desk was a large, glass clock face.

Insects hid behind the gears, feeling the vibration and listening as Ozpin and Goodwitch talked.

“—ay have the capabilities to enter Beacon, it is rather late to add another participant to the initiation. Miss Hebert’s presence does present a problem with the number of students for making up teams, should everyone pass,” Goodwitch stated.

My fork slipped and sent a piece of sausage careening off my plate.

He said I wouldn’t be taking the position from another potential student. 

“Do not worry. I have already added something to the test that should correct any imbalance young Taylor’s participation may bring.”

“I do wish you would be more forthcoming in these tests you set up… but I believe you enjoy the machinations and theatrics of it all,” Glynda said with a sigh. Ozpin chuckled in response.

_So, not only is he a schemer, he’s also open about it._

I was halfway through the meal but a nauseous bulge in my stomach made me stop.

The two continued to talk, but about nothing beyond logistics and confirmations of things. My bugs slipped into a cupboard filled with bags; cocoa powder coated their sides. Ozpin had an addiction.

The note that had been left with my current clothes said I had ten minutes before I was to board an airship back to Vale.

Ozpin had set me up with identification, gave me some money for basic necessities, and prepared a way for me to come to Beacon with the rest of the new first-years.

I was a new student, a new asset for him, but the amount of time and money he was offering me seemed to go beyond that. Generosity like this often came with favors reciprocated down the line. It didn’t help that I hadn’t a clue to what his goals were in all this. Was it just more fighters? Was it an attempt to get students who he thought would get him accolades?

My knife and the get-well card, my only possessions in the world, were stored in a locker provided by the school. Every student was assigned one, and I would keep mine if I passed the initiation.

I finished off my drink, then headed out of Beacon and toward the airship landing pad.

The courtyard leading out of Beacon was an elaborate garden with a circular moat surrounded by a ring of pillared arches. A walkway flanked by reddening trees led out to the rocky barren land that surrounded Beacon—a utopian sanctuary amidst a wasteland.

I’d underestimated the distance, so I moved into a light jog. The movement made my cracked ribs—well, they might not be cracked anymore, thanks to my Aura—ache but not burn. It also loosened the knots in my muscles.

The landing zone sat on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a large river below, which snaked through Vale and into the ocean.

The sound of waves raged against jagged rocks as I got onto the airship. They had expected me.

Once again, I was without a swarm, unable to monitor everything around me. Bugs couldn’t keep up with the ship, and I wasn’t confident in my ability to hide them on the journey over.

No one paid attention to me, except for a glance at my missing arm. I hated feeling vulnerable like this. I shouldn’t have let my worry over damaging one of the few mementos I had stop me from bringing the nano-thorn knife along. Even if it wouldn’t activate, it was still a weapon.

I let out the breath I had held since the flight started as we landed, bugs entering my range again. Not many, but enough to react and maybe do something if anything happened.

A car was there to pick me up, arranged by Ozpin, no doubt, and I was dropped off at Vale’s city hall. I walked in and was done in an hour, the process oddly smooth.

Anyone coming from outside the kingdom went through the same paperwork if they wanted to stay in Vale permanently or for long periods.

Borders couldn’t be kept because of the Grimm, so border security was non-existent. Illegal immigration wasn’t really a concept either. People usually wandered about or made their way to the main kingdoms if they could, and were welcome to stay anywhere if they found a living.

A gust of wind blew hair into my face, and I tucked it back, but frowned when the right side still covered my eye—ah, yes, no arm.

I people-watched, waiting for my guide into the city. My heart stuttered when I saw a blonde woman with feathers coming out of her hair, but her features were completely wrong. Not Canary, just a Faunus.

She noticed my stare and quickly ducked her head down, trying to look small or inconspicuous.

It was the same thing any colored individuals would do when they were near Empire territory in Brockton Bay.

In Vale, there were people of all different skin tones and appearance. Yet, only the Faunus seemed to be wary. Idiocy. Humanity always found an excuse, a scapegoat.

The click of heels on concrete made me turn toward a tall woman—a sway in her steps and confidence in spades—who walked up to me.

She wore black, form-fitting jeans and a white low-hanging tank top that edged the line of inappropriate, under a caramel sleeveless suit jacket, accented with black silk gloves and neck scarf. A black leather purse with a diamond pattern hung at her waist, and golden brown bracelets and a loose belt tied the outfit together.

She was a walking fashion magazine, including the model on the cover.

This was not what I pictured a superpowered person who was learning to kill monsters for a living would look like.

Her beret tilted with her head as she gave me a once over, and a hand slid her shaded aviators down slightly for a better view.

“Hey, kid. You must be Taylor. I’m Coco, Coco Adel.” One hand stayed on her hip, the other extended for a handshake.

 _Kid? Really, I’m probably as old as her_. “I am. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“So, you’re taking me around town, I guess?”

“That’s right. I already picked you up a Scroll. Thought that would be a good first step.” She handed me the small device. It had all the features of a smartphone, with a holographic interface, and a host of other features, and it was half the size of my palm and only slightly thicker than a coin.

“Thank you, but did Ozpin give you any money or…?”

She flashed a silver card to me. “Yup. Professor Ozpin gave me a Beacon credit card. This apparently counts as an E-ranked mission, and the school is funding it. That means we got some spare Lien to burn on you today.” That must be the name of the currency..

“I don’t want to spend that much. Just need the necessities.” This was a test, to see if I took advantage of this. An easy one too; I was never a shopper and hadn’t bought anything for myself besides books and tea. Even then, the Wards had provided acceptable tea.

“Come on, live a little. This is your first chance to experience Vale—well, experience _any_ of the kingdoms, or anything really.” Ozpin must have informed her of my ‘amnesia’ then.

“I just need some basics and clothes. Nothing else.”

She waved my concerns away, or rather, ignored them but didn’t pursue the issue. “So, what kind of stuff do you need?”

“A weapon for the initiation. Basic living stuff. These are my only clothes, so just something until—”

“Those are your only clothes?” She looked me over again with a grimace. “Beacon merchandise?”

“Yup.”

“So, we have to get you an entire wardrobe then.” A shiver ran down my back as a smirk that Lisa would have admired spread across Coco’s face.

“No. Something for combat, casual wear, and one for exercising.”

“Oh, Tay. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to take care of you.”

“It’s Taylor, please.” I hadn’t been called ‘Tay’ by anyone except Emma, when we were seven.

“Right on then, kid—”

“Not kid either, thank you.”

She took a moment as if reassessing me. “You’re right, you’re definitely not a kid. But that means”—her grin turned catlike—“that us girls can have an _adult’s_ shopping day.”

I didn’t like how she phrased that.

She led me down the block to a street of stores.

I didn’t attempt any small talk, but Coco didn’t seem to mind.

We walked into the first store, ‘Made For Walking’, and I saw endless aisles of boots.

Coco was already deep into the store. She glanced from me to a pair of boots, shook her head, then moved on to another.

The aisles were labeled with the types of boots and the category Coco was in caught my eye, and I blinked in confusion for a few moments.

“Coco. These are supposed to be combat boots?”

“Yup. Thought it would be best to see what you’ll be kicking ass in before I assemble the rest of your outfit.” I didn’t like how she casually stated that _she_ was going to be choosing my clothes.

“I see… but why do they all have heels?” _Really_ high heels.

It was her turn to be confused. “It’s so that if you get blood on them, they’ll still look damn good _and_ still make your legs look damn good,” she said, modeling her own heeled boots as she did.

“I… You can’t be serious.”

“Of course, I am. You think I haven’t killed Grimm in these?” I hoped that wasn’t a regular thing Huntresses wore.

“I don’t think your opponents will take the time to appreciate your fashion sense before trying to kill you.”

“I strongly disagree, but more importantly, it’s not for your enemies to like; it’s for you to enjoy.”

“I enjoy having practical footwear.”

“You’ll get used to them.” She turned back to her shopping, or well, _my_ shopping.

I picked out a good pair of boots that would work, found my size, and brought them to the counter.

“Coco. I picked a pair.”

“What?” She arrived with a frown, looked between the boot and me, then shrugged.

“Okay, but I’ll choose the next thing.”

The next four stores went the same way, though Coco made me wait for her to select some things for me, that I mostly refused.

I wasn’t allowed to buy pants at certain stores for reasons I couldn’t begin to care for. Some stores were just for combat outfits despite them selling normal clothes as well. Heaven forbid, I look at a pair of running shorts at the combat outfit store!

Coco knew what she was doing though, and I was willing to trust her in that, just like I had with Lisa when she took me shopping. That was over two years ago now… 

Despite her fashion tics, Coco was surprisingly complimentary and encouraging, praising my looks in some outfits, but I was there to get only what I needed. 

It didn’t make it any less frustrating though, which wasn’t helped by how irritatingly difficult changing clothes with one arm turn out to be. At least I was getting a lot of practice for it now.

At one point, I sacrificed a large spider in an attempt to maybe frighten Coco enough to stop her crusade. She didn’t flinch or even slow her search through a row of blouses as she crushed the spider in her hand. She did take the time to replace her glove with an identical one she’d had in her purse though.

After the sixth store, I suggested she try on some clothes. A bug slipped into her purse and snuck out the credit card Ozpin had given her. I quickly gave back the heap of clothes Coco had piled for my consideration and bought the running clothes I needed.

“How do I look?” she asked as she strutted out in a dark tan dress that showed off her figure.

From what I had seen, the people of Remnant were all good looking. The students at Beacon were no exception, and Coco wouldn’t have looked out of place walking down a fashion show lane. It was rather odd and somewhat isolating.

“You look great, but I think we should head on to the next store.” I waggled the bag my newly purchased goods were in.

“I—how did? Well, well. You know how to play; I’ll give you that.” She flicked out another card and paid for the dress she wore before changing back.

I stood there, bags of clothes in hand, off to do more shopping for mundane things, and I felt more out of place than I had since coming to Remnant.

It was all so normal, something I hadn’t done since… before Mom died? Before everything became this one long string of struggles.

My bugs fidgeted for me. There were things I wanted to ask Coco, but every time I ran though the conversation in my head, I sounded interrogative or pushy, a battle rather than a conversation.

I was already nervous about accidentally insulting someone because of my ignorance of Remnant social norms, and my lack of conversational skills didn’t help.

Even being in another universe didn’t make me feel as much like a fish out of water as wandering about for what amounted to _school_ _supplies_ did.

“Yo, Taylor. You good?” Coco asked.

I let out a deep breath. “Yeah, let’s head out.”

“Okay…” She paused, before letting the matter slide. “I think we’re doing good for time. You _are_ going to be changing out of those clothes, but first, we need to get some weapons to finish off the ensemble.”

Weapons? I had wondered if Huntsmen used weapons like the White Fang members had. If they did, I wasn’t sure what I would end up with.

I followed behind Coco, deep in thought, playing out scenarios to what I should use and had used.

“So, there are stores that sell weapons openly or—” I cut myself off as I was led into a lingerie store.

_God damn it._

* * *

Few people could wear me down like this and Coco was definitely one of them.

“You are no fun at all,” Coco remarked amusingly. “There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to some nice clothes every once in a while.”

“I thought we were going to a weapons shop.”

“We were.”

I sighed heavily. “Well, I’m sure I’ll survive with regular underwear, thank you.”

We had stopped for a small bite to eat at a local coffee shop.

I got tea and a small biscuit. Coco had a small slice of velvet cake with coffee—not cocoa. I decided not to comment.

It was only tea, but I couldn’t help but be excited. Tea had always been my quiet guardian. The herbal taste cut through the senses, leaving an afterglow of heat and flavor; a moment of peace.

One sip and my nerves calmed. It might have been because we weren’t shopping anymore, but I felt less out of my element now. Or it was because I had grown calluses to Coco’s shopping escapades.

“You know, most people would be barraging me with questions about Beacon, or looking for hints for the initiation.”

“Would you tell me?”

“Nope. Besides, you’ll be fine without it.” I had expected a joke, but she sounded so nonchalantly confident that I would pass.

“So, you’re a student at Beacon?” I asked after a moment.

“Yup, second-year.”

“What’s it like?”

“Being a Huntress is the best feeling in the world. Not to mention helping people and killing Grimm. How about you? You excited to go to Beacon?”

“It’s more of a matter of convenience than something I had pictured happening to me.” In many more ways than one.

She smirked. “So, being accepted into a Huntsmen academy, one of the four most prestigious training facilities in all of Remnant, was just a convenience? Damn girl, you have some high standards.” She gave me a nod of approval and followed it with her last bite of cake. “We better get moving if we’re to hit all the places we need to. But first.” She pointed at me and then to the cafe’s bathroom. “You, change, now. Enough of the having-to-go-outside-for-a-moment-on-the-weekend clothes routine. I didn’t help you pick out all of this for you to not wear.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the various bags of clothes, and made my way to the restroom.

Coco had built up some frustration with me by the last store as well. After most of her suggestions were shot down, her last pick was one she wouldn’t budge on. Form-fitting pants were the only kind Coco had allowed me to buy, even threatening to shoot the visa card out of my hand before I could buy anything else.

She’d shown me the weapon she would do it with—a small gun she carried in her purse when she wasn’t using her ‘good purse’, whatever that meant.

So, I came out with a pair of tight, gray jeans, held up by a white belt that had a few pouches on it.

Even in a fantasy world with superpowers from Auras, flying ships, and monsters, girl-pockets were still bullshit.

I had a long-sleeved white blouse that had small delicate frills along the sides of the buttons up to the collar, with the right arm of the top tied at my stump.

I’d worn a thin slate-colored military-styled jacket with silver buttons over a top that ended in short sleeves. It had two black straps that circled around my waist and two around the end of each sleeve. A wide collar that lay flat against the shirt was trimmed black. Black epaulets accented with silver buttons lay on the shoulders, which had two lines that came down diagonally towards my stomach before shifting straight down to the end of the jacket.

It was nice to wear something that was mine and wasn’t totally ruined. It looked fine, but still weird.

I felt like I was wearing a fantasy military adventurer outfit from a world set in modern times. Though, given what I’d been told a Huntress’s job consisted of, that made sense. And based on the clothes I had seen everyone else wearing, I’d fit right in. 

The color needed to be specific as well. Grays, blacks, and whites mostly, to go with the color of my Aura.

She explained that an Aura’s color was the color of someone’s soul and that of course, it was what she would work with.

One thing I did make note of though—Cocoa was a brown drink. It was the color that Coco was wearing, the color of her hair, and the color of her name. She told me it was her Aura’s color, when I’d asked if she too matched her outfits.

She’d also said it was because she looked ‘damn good’ in it.

I wanted to question how that worked if she was named Coco before she knew what the color of her Aura was but decided against it.

Did the Aura match the person’s name for some reason when it appeared, or did people get named after they found their Aura color? When did people get their Auras, and was it a common or natural thing that everyone in the world had? Did other people have names based on colors as well?

Wait, Detective Bruin and Dunn. Bruin was brown obviously, wasn’t sure on Dunn. The card I got was from Ruby; red. Wasn’t sure about Yang or Taiyang. Coco; light brown. Professor Peach; peach. Peter was a color as well.

There were too many coincidences for my liking. Maybe it was some kind of naming convention for Remnant? Shit.

Hebert did mean ‘bright’ or ‘illustrious army’, but that was stretching it. I could use Mom’s middle name, ‘Rose’… No. I’d just say it was the ‘bright’ part if someone pointed out my name.

Then again, Ozpin and Glynda didn’t seem to match though… Not their real names? Although, I wasn’t good enough with etymology to say for sure that their names weren’t a specific color.

The color of a person’s _soul._ Probably some esoteric nonsense around the ideas about Aura. Similar to the weird ideas people had about parahuman powers, though the real answer was just as out there as any of the weirder theories.

For the umpteenth time, Lisa’s absence was like a stab wound, and the fact that I wasn’t just in another city, but a whole other planet, twisted the blade.

I focused down on my outfit and brought out my Aura, a comfort now.

The brief spurts of color from summer dresses and shirts I used to wear would be odd if everyone adhered to the outfit-Aura-name matching. As Weaver, I’d either been in uniform or in formal wear for meetings and reports, so the opportunity to wear something more vibrant was very rare.

_Oh well._

I walked out of the café’s washroom in my new clothes. 

Coco made a show of lowering her glasses and giving my clothes a critical once-over. Her look said my outfit was adequate rather than amazing, which irked me for some reason. 

“Looking good there, Taylor.”

“I get the feeling you don’t entirely believe that.”

“No, no. You can brag about having my seal of approval. I wouldn’t have let you buy anything that didn’t,” she said with a smirk. “It’s a bit too me though. Your outfit should be more you.”

 _Ha. Lisa had said I needed to change my wardrobe because it was_ too _me._

“I see.”

“And it’s not often I get to pick out clothes for someone taller than me though, so thanks.”

“No problem.” I was only a few inches taller, and her very high heels made up the difference, so I didn’t see how that small height gap changed her shopping experience, but I wasn’t going to ask. 

We left the café just as my bugs found a store that I had almost forgotten I needed to go to. “Oh, there’s a stop I need to make.” I changed direction and entered the shop, Coco’s heel clacking behind.

“Why are we here? If you want some shades, I happen to be an expert.”

“I need glasses,” I said, both to her and to the attendant.

“You wear glasses?” she asked in a way that made me think her eyes had narrowed dangerously behind her shades.

“Yup, everything is blurry after a few feet.” My one broken lens wasn't exactly casual wear.

“I—wait, how did you make it to town then?”

“I followed you.”

“Before I came along.”

“Car picked me up from the airship hangar. Wasn’t really able to get lost.”

“But you… Part of this mission was to offer protection in case you were attacked by some gang members that might want revenge.” She waited, silently inviting me to explain. Ozpin hadn’t told anyone? Interesting.

“I guess that was a possibility.” One I wished Ozpin would have given me a heads-up on so that I would have been armed. Though, there weren’t any cameras, and all the surviving gang members were jailed, so the risk was low. Still, I would have liked the warning.

“So, you beat up a bunch of goons, without being able to see?”

“No, I have some goggles that have a prescription, but no glasses. And I can see for a few feet.”

“So, all the outfits I’ve been holding up for you?”

“Ahhhhh…” _Oops_.

She paused, then let out an amused huff. “Man, you and Fox would get along.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t. You know what you want, and you gotta trust someone who knows what outfit is best for them.”

Before I could respond, I was led by an attendant and put through a quick eye test. They had some kind of scanner machine that mapped out my eye, making the process only take a few minutes.

I walked out with two pairs of glasses, one reinforced for combat situations, and a pair of contacts.

Vale was even prettier when you were able to see.

After grabbing toiletries and other necessities, Coco showed me how to link up my Scroll to my Aura.

Based on her own words, Remnant had handheld devices that could measure the status of someone’s _soul_ down to the percentile.

Handy, and something I would have to experiment with. It also didn’t give credence to the ‘Aura is your soul’ idea.

Coco looked at me strangely when I asked about it, but she played it off as an amnesiac’s odd thoughts.

Souls were normal things here, another muscle in the body. I was the weird one for thinking otherwise.

Finally, we arrived at a weapons shop. I walked in the door after Coco and froze, my jaw hanging open.

Axes, swords, knives, spears, guns, and some odd staves lined the walls and aisles. A whole store filled with deadly weapons that had enough business to stay open, and there were multiple ones just in Vale.

Thankfully, only Huntsmen in-training or people with permits for business that required them to leave the city walls were permitted to buy weapons, but still. One robbery would mean some goon had enough ordnance to level a building or two and arm an entire gang.

 _Then again…_ _maybe it wouldn’t be that easy._

I eyed the shop owner, a tree trunk of a man with knotted muscles and a jagged halberd within arm’s reach. It was the kind of weapon only an Aura user could use.

Coco was at home in the shop, checking ammo prices for herself while I was supposed to pick a weapon.

A pistol was a given. If combat was a part of the initiation, then I didn’t have time to play around with something unfamiliar.

Next was—my mind stuttered as I read ‘Rifle-Polearm’ next to ‘Shotgun-Axe’.

“Coco?”

“You doing okay back there?”

“What are these?”

“Oh, yeah, folding frame tech. You don’t…?” I shook my head. “Here.”

She grabbed one of the strange weapons, clicked a button, and I watched as a naginata folded into itself somehow to become a rifle. The blade now acted as a bayonet.

“What the fuck?” Coco chuckled at my outburst. “So… all these weapons—”

“Are also guns, yes. Or they change into another melee weapon, if that’s what you’re into.”

_Fucking Tinkers. Well, fucking ‘Tinker-esque technology’._

“Does everyone use something like this?”

“Most do. My weapon changes into a more compact form, for convenience and style. Some don’t and get along just fine. We all have our own specialties.”

“Huh.” So, most Huntsmen probably had some level of versatility with their weapon in form or use. It would be something to think of, but not to try out during a test.

With Coco’s help, I picked out a sleek pistol that was a heavier caliber than anything I had used before. Aura made recoil and weight much less of a concern, and bigger Grimm would most likely shrug off regular bullets.

Some would ignore this gun too, so I picked out a sword as well.

A simple, long tactical knife, around twenty-four inches, it was more like a short sword. Closest thing to a baton I could find that had an edge.

After my fight with the White Fang, I knew I would need a melee weapon to use if everyone I fought had the potential to dodge or block bullets.

There were actual batons, but I doubted their effectiveness against things the size of that bear Grimm, unless I developed the strength to match the chainsaw-wielding White Fang member.

I wasn’t trained in swordplay, but my knife and baton training would let me stumble through enough to be somewhat effective.

A knife wouldn’t sink deep enough into a large Grimm to do much damage; the stings from those sword-wasps had shown that. Plus, I’d need the extra reach if everyone fought with swords or other medieval weapons.

I clipped the sheath for the short sword on my belt so that it hung horizontally along my lower back, the handle on my left so I could draw it reverse grip.

Another knife went into a boot, just in case.

Coco suggested some Dust rounds as well. The explosive powder infused into the metal to make bullets of fire, lightning, ice, gravity, and other weird effects.

I blinked at the idea of how the bullets affected _gravity_ , but I ended up with some ice and lightning rounds. The lightning to stun, and the ice to lock opponents in place.

Fire Dust, I could understand; some kind of chemical reaction to create the heat and flames, maybe. The rest, I wasn’t sure were possible.

Dust, another thing I’d have to look into.

Crystals that ‘contained’ the power of certain elements. More tinkertech, illogical and not conforming to science.

I tucked the extra ammo into the carrying case on my belt, paid for everything, and we were off.

Unfortunately, my plan to stay frugal and not take advantage of Ozpin’s goodwill was a bust. Coco had seen to that.

So, I decided to splurge on something.

We entered Tukson’s Book Trade, and I walked out with three of the owner’s recommendations for books.

‘A Tale of Two Dragons’, ‘Slave to the Sword’, and ‘Howling at the Moon’.

I was almost giddy. Not only was I still celebrating that I _could_ still read, but Remnant was a whole new world of reading material to go through.

The timer for when I needed to head to the hangar and head off to Beacon with the rest of the first-years went off.

As I made to depart, I realized Coco hadn’t fished for information like I had assumed she was going to. I was surprised Ozpin hadn’t put her up to it. Then again, Coco didn’t seem like one for subtlety; everything she did was too self-assured and filled with flair.

“Thanks again, Coco. I’m sorry if I was…” Distant, ignorant, overall not enjoyable to be around.

“Hey, no apologizing for the minor stuff. Leave it for the stuff that matters.”

“Sure.”

“Besides, I enjoy the challenge. I’ll get you to show off those legs yet.”

“No, you won’t.”

She grinned. “Good luck, Taylor. Knock ’em dead.”

I waved her off and headed toward the airship.

Time to see what kind of students I might be enrolled with.

**Chapter 6 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> raise be to Juff, ccstat, Majigah, and Breakingamber.
> 
> I had no idea what I was going to do for Taylor’s Remnant clothing, don’t really like it. It’ll get updated come chapter… twenty-something.
> 
> Making up a casual outfit for Coco was fun, was looking at a bunch of Coco Chanel fashion but none of it was Coco enough besides her purse so I just winged it.
> 
> ‘A Tale of Two Dragons’ is from Avatar the Last Airbender. ‘Howling at the Moon’ and ‘Slave to the Sword’ are both books that Blake is seen reading in RWBY Chibi.


	7. The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For

* * *

_ Taylor _

The loading zone to Beacon was filled with students, a color palette of hair and outfits.

A girl with bubble-gum pink hair and tawny skin walked by with a bladed rocket launcher. A boy with a pale green mohawk had two daggers on his belt, each with colored revolver cylinders instead of guards. Another girl, bald, wore a yellow dress that blushed orange. The staff in her hand was taller than her, and obviously a rifle halfway down.

The people certainly matched the… aesthetics of the city. The weapons were just as diverse.

Too many people to spread my bugs out stealthily, so I dispersed all but enough to watch the perimeter. Best not to let groups of bugs be noticed after they were out of my range; too suspicious.

I gave my bags over to one of the airship’s personnel. They would be delivered to my locker until I either got a room or failed.

The amount that some of the other students brought was concerning. We hadn’t taken the initiation yet, and they were ready to move in.

One girl had a decadent trolley filled with suitcases and trunks, all marked with a snowflake logo with pointed arrows protruding from it.

The same logo that was on the trunks the White Fang had stolen. A brand of Dust?

Coco and I had passed by Dust shops, and the weapons shop readily sold Dust ammo and Dust infused weapons. The strange material was much more available than I had thought.

If it was possible for a first-year to stockpile so much, then why had the White Fang gone to the trouble of stealing it? Unless they needed enough to bring down the whole city. 

Another question on the mountain of others led me to stay clear of everyone and board the airship. The faster I was seated, the faster I could search Remnant’s internet equivalent for information.

The smaller ships like the ones I had taken to Beacon were called Bullheads. This ship was at least ten times larger, a whale compared to a dolphin.

The inside was lined with windows and leather couches, and it even had a viewing patio for passengers. The Dragonfly had nothing on Remnant’s air transport, at least in terms of comfort—I doubted this ship had weapons.

I took a seat in the far corner, careful of my bruised ribs, brought out my scroll, and began the search.

Firstly, Grimm. Since the start of recorded history on Remnant, they had slaughtered people indiscriminately.

Worst of all, negative emotions attracted them, directed them toward people already in trouble or feeling bad. Remnant was like a planet of empathic Nilbog creations let loose.

I shuddered away from the thought.

No known origin or knowledge of how they spawned. They didn’t eat, breathe, or sleep. All they did was wander around, attacking any humans or civilization they came across.

The older the Grimm the more powerful and intelligent it became. Some Grimm seemed to actively avoid conflict with people. It was speculated that it was because they knew that attacking humans would lead to them being hunted in turn.

I disagreed. They were probably smart enough to wait for times when they could do the most damage to humans to attack. An empath power that told them when to strike; when it would do the most damage.

It was the same thing the Endbringers did.

Having an enemy that was unequivocally evil was nice, in a twisted way. There was no need to doubt if fighting them was wrong.

Grimm took the form of animals and mythological creatures; not ones from Remnant, but from Earth Bet. There were many of the same animals here, but the variety among the species was almost non-existent. There were tigers, but not the subspecies of Bengal, Siberian, and… There were more, but I had never cared to look into the subject. 

Now, I never could. The thought left me… hollow.

As for the monsters of myth, there were chimeras, manticores, griffins, and more.

There were a lot of odd coincidences I’d seen so far. They didn’t have the same fairy tales and fables that spawned some of these creatures, yet they were identical to their depiction in the stories I’d read.

More students piled in, either eager with excitement or nerve-racked.

Anxiety slid into my gut. Winslow and getting outed had been my last experience like this, being among students as a student. The few Ward’s school trips I’d gone on didn’t count.

Regardless, the feeling was more of a memory, an instinctive reaction I had forgotten. It was something so trivial, yet it held.

I tried to bury the sensation with research.

A broad overview of Remnant’s world history left me staring blankly at the screen.

Mankind discovered Dust, which let them fight off the Grimm long enough to build cities. Faunus appeared at some point but were discriminated against just for looking different. Some things were universal, even in different universes.

Four kingdoms were established as bastions of safety from the Grimm, although many villages still remained outside the kingdoms, which were spread out incredibly far from one another, some on the other side of the planet from each other.

Then, the ‘Great War’ happened.

Mistral had banned or restricted arts and freedom of expression in an attempt to control the emotions of their citizens, as a preventative measure against the Grimm.

Then, Mistral and Mantle joined together when an island colony of Vale and Mistral began to fight for the land. The fighting caused Vale and Vacuo to ally together, leading to a two on two war between all the kingdoms of the world.

A peace treaty led to the creation of the Vytal Festival, where all the kingdoms come together to compete in battle and celebrate each kingdom’s cultures.

That was it, world peace from one war. Remnant’s population was a fraction of what Earth Bet’s was, due to the Grimm. The war had taken the lives of an estimated twenty million over decades.

The losses would have been bad for Earth Bet, but on Remnant, the amount was devastating. 

Next came the Faunus Rights Revolution, after humanity tried to make a permanent internment camp for all Faunus on Menagerie, a small island continent in the corner of the world.

A name for a collection of animals kept in captivity for exhibition. They weren’t even attempting to be subtle. 

I sighed in frustration; whether at the situation, or human nature in general, I wasn’t sure.

After years of fighting, the Faunus were able to prevent the extradition of all Faunus to Menagerie, but many had already been relocated there, creating a small kingdom for Faunus.

Discrimination against Faunus had led to the creation of the White Fang, an organization meant to fight for equal rights for Faunus. However, in the last several years, they had turned away from peaceful protest after a new leader was named, and had since become an extremist group for Faunus rights. At least, that was the narrative being heavily pushed by the media. That said, the list of incidents bearing their name didn’t paint a pretty picture.

Of course I would get involved with an international terrorist group right out of the gate.

The dates were different, the continents, and there was no noticeable point from where history had diverged from Earth Bet’s, or even Aleph’s. Yet, they spoke English—which they called ‘Common’. Then, there were places like the kingdom of Mistral, which seemed heavily influenced by Eastern Asian architecture and culture, while the town of Argus, just north of Mistral, was more Grecian or Roman. 

Three students walked toward me from the corner of my eye; tension built in my muscles as I pointedly ignored them. They started chatting about the view out the window behind me.

I was out of my element. I felt like I was going down memory lane in a bad way, my mind jumping to old interactions.

It was ridiculous. There would never be another Emma for me. There couldn’t be. No one knew anything about me. Besides, I was better at hurting me than anyone else now.

The thought of being isolated like I had been still left me cold. You never truly get over your trigger event, but it had been a long time since I had thought about it.

“—string of Dust thefts,” a male voice cut through my thoughts.  _ Dust  _ theft? “The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa.” Holographic screens had been playing a schedule for the students but must have switched to the news at some point.

_Roman_ _Torchwick_. The chainsaw-wielding White Fang member had mentioned the name.

I searched his name and a fat criminal record dropped under it. Most notably, his confirmed involvement in the string of Dust robberies in Vale.

An accomplice with the White Fang?

Roman’s pictures showed a black bowler cap over his light orange hair.

The only reason that a human-hating organization like the White Fang would partner up with a human criminal like Torchwick would be for his connections or expertise for some kind of undertaking—probably the Dust theft since it was outside the White Fang’s modus operandi.

Or maybe Roman was secretly a Faunus? It wasn’t unlikely that some Faunus would disguise themselves.

I wondered what they were building toward with all that Dust…

My nails dug into my palm, hard enough that I almost crushed my new scroll.

_ No hunting criminals, no dealing with terrorist organizations. That’s not why I’m here _ .  _ Leave it to the authorities. _

A hologram of Goodwitch interrupted the ongoing news program, and the students crowded around to listen.

From their whispers and comments, Goodwitch was apparently a famous and popular Huntress.

There was a chipper tone in Goodwitch’s voice that I suspected she only put on for the recording. She talked about Beacon and how we were going to learn to fight against evil and protect the kingdoms and more.

I let out a sigh of relief as bugs entered my power’s range. Never the same without them.

The airship landed, and I moved to be one of the first ones out. Best not to get distracted or interrupted by the other students when I had barely gotten into what I wanted to look up.

The doors opened with a gentle swoosh, and a blond boy in a black hoodie pushed by and barfed into a garbage can.

He wore heavy white armor plates over his hoodie, with a longsword sheathed in a thick white metal sheath hung on two crossed belts; a student.

Apparently, Aura users could still be affected by airsickness.

I went straight to the auditorium where the students were to gather.

While the cafeteria had been unexpectedly large, the auditorium was  _ grand _ . It was styled like a giant circular antechamber, with empty bleachers surrounding a space below. The walls had arched engravings in the style of stained-glass windows, with circles within circles making up the stone-colored decoration. A large half-circle stage sat as the focal point of the room, curving to the floor in an arc lined with sky-blue light instead of drop-off. The back of the stage was a towering monolith with pillar designs made from a tan brown carved into the stone. The same sky-blue lights as the stage were built along the sides of the structure.

There were no chairs set up, so I took a spot closer to the stage and leaned against the wall. I started on articles on Vale’s history, its customs, and its attractions.

I didn’t want to accidentally challenge someone to a duel or propose because of how I raised my fork.

Outside the school grounds, I began my other project: a den to house my swarm.

The wasteland around Beacon was barren beyond the occasional rock grouping. No one had any reason to go there or focus on it.

My ants began to tunnel, hidden behind a few boulders. Eventually, I’d have a giant underground terrarium, close enough to keep an eye on but far enough to not be easily discovered. 

Students began to file in, and a mic was brought on stage by a woman with flaming red hair peppered with white and gray. Her features were sharp, eyes beady, and she seemed to swoop across the stage rather than walk. She left without a word or acknowledgment.

After around a half-hour, the chandelier lights dimmed, and Ozpin took the stage.

The crowd hushed in awe and maybe even reverence. Ozpin was the headmaster of one of the most famous institutions in the world, probably the second most famous after Atlas from what I had searched.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a household name

I needed to do more research on him.

“I'll... keep this brief.” His tone was somber, eyes lost looking somewhere else. “You have traveled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose—direction.”  _ Oh _ ?  _ Interesting _ . “You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.” No introduction, no lead-up, but I nodded along.

Beacon could teach us all it could, but the knowledge itself wouldn’t tell us how to use it; that was something we had to decide.

I respected the purpose behind the speech. It wasn’t motivational or the welcoming drivel Goodwitch’s hologram had spewed out on the airship. It was advice for those who could find the meaning in the words, as well as a way to set the tone for what was expected of the students.

Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone while Ozpin left.

“You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed.” Now that was the no-nonsense Goodwitch I had met.

I waited until the rest of the students had dispersed before I headed to the library.

If the auditorium was grand, the library was just showing off.

It was easily six times the size of the auditorium, with a ceiling seventy feet high. Bookshelves climbed around thirty feet up the walls, seemingly going through the floor of a second-story balcony section that ran along the room’s perimeter. The middle was a massive space filled with white tables for student use. Tall windows loomed over everything. Thin banners wafted from the ceiling, each at least twenty-five feet long but nowhere close to the ground.

There must have been millions of books, their covers like dots of color that made up a painting.

Maybe school wouldn’t be so bad after all?

A black-haired clerk politely cleared her throat to grab my attention.

“It is quite the awe-inspiring sight when you first see it.” She gave a warm smile. “And also, such a huge pain to keep orderly.” The mask fell, the smile fake. Now there was only hard, cold steel. “So, follow the rules of the library.” There was an unspoken ‘or else.’ Then the false warmth was back. “If you need anything, ask a clerk or use the terminals throughout the library if you are looking for reports on a certain topic or a specific book,” she said, gesturing to a blue screened terminal just beside the counter she sat behind.

I gave her a stiff nod. Was everyone on Remnant oddly eccentric? Peter, Peach, now a librarian who might be a secret Miss Trunchbull?

With a quick terminal search, I discovered that Braille existed here. Another few searches pointed me toward my goals: a book on Dust applications, one on Aura, and another about cybernetic prosthetic limbs titled ‘How to Arm Yourself’, which made me groan.

I signed them out using my scroll, without making eye contact with the clerk, and left.

The gardens were busy with students sightseeing, but a section of trees in the shade and off the path was hidden, free, and too out-of-the-way for passersby.

A small group of my swarm met me as I laid the books on the ground. My bugs traced along the bumps of Braille while I researched Huntsmen on my scroll.

Reading multiple things at once was a lot like trying to hold multiple conversations at the same time. I’d worked out how to do it during my time in the Wards, but it was still difficult. I would only focus on words if something of interest came up, but it was a lot like skimming through text.

The process was slow-going, and I couldn’t keep it up for long periods without getting a headache.

A certain passage on Aura caught my attention. Aura also affected a person passively, but actively having it out enhanced all its benefits, which included healing.

I brought out my Aura and fought to maintain it. Once I was confident the gray glow was holding, I tried to continue reading, but my Aura slipped away. Something to practice.

After a couple of hours, I made a trip to the cafeteria for an early dinner. The other students were still wandering, so it was mostly empty.

I ate more than I thought I would: apparently a consequence of Aura usage. I needed to read ahead in that book to see if it also helped with metabolism, since everyone here ate so much but still had the physique of Olympic athletes that were also models.

After I finished, I retreated back to my isolated grove of trees and continued reading.

Aura had always existed on Remnant, and could either be unlocked by another person, or by a stressful situation… I wasn’t sure which one it was for me. Two bullets might count as stressful—even if I had asked for them, in a way—but was it just being on Remnant that unlocked it? Was it something to do with the planet itself, like some world-based Trump effect that gave out powers?

Too many things were taken for granted on Remnant. The only explanation for Aura was that it was a ‘person’s soul’.

At least there were no reports that Aura caused changes to someone’s personality, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that for now.

An announcement echoed throughout the school for new students to make their way to the ballroom for the night.

Bugs worked and moved quickly when they used the most direct path. They had finished a chamber, large enough that I was worried it might collapse without some kind of reinforcement if I dug it out more.

They started on another while I dropped off my library books and grabbed ‘Howling at the Moon’ from my locker.

I also changed into my pajamas, a simple white long-sleeved shirt with black pajama pants decorated with butterflies. Glenn would have chuckled… I hoped he survived.

Beacon continued to amaze; the ballroom was like a deeper toned version of the ballroom from Cinderella, decked out with burgundy and gold rather than pink and blue.

Curved staircases led to long balconies while the windows were draped with rich red curtains.

Beacon must be making a lot of money to be able to maintain the splendor of its buildings, or even just to have a room like this built at all.

I was one of the later students to arrive. The other students quietly chatted or were still getting ready, but most had settled into sleep.

I grabbed one of the sleeping bags the school had left for new students and glanced around. 

The room was lit dimly by candles on the walls. It was enough to be able to walk but not enough to read. My scroll had a light, but I couldn’t hold it and read with one arm easily or comfortably.

The only nearby light source that didn’t require me to tiptoe over sleeping bodies was a lit candelabra at the side of the room. 

A girl was already sitting near it, reading. Her hair was similar to mine, though straighter, cut into bangs, and topped with a little black bow. A simple black robe lined with purple made up her nightwear. Yellow eyes highlighted with eyeliner wings of faded blue against pale skin darted along the page.

“Do you mind if I share your light?” I asked when close.

She finished the line she was on, sparing a glance for only a moment, before she gestured for me to sit.

Indifference sat lazily on her face, but she was obviously engrossed in the book given how quickly she dove back into it. 

There was a pillar to the left of the table that the candelabra sat on. Using the sleeping bag as a cushion, I sat down, my book planted on bent knees, and began to read.

Simple actions took planning now. How to move or position objects and myself with only one arm. I didn’t mind, it was just something to get used to.

After a chapter of reading, I realized I hadn’t grabbed a bookmark. I glanced around for anything available and caught the girl beside me eyeing my book.

Our eyes met before hers darted away, a small flush on her face. 

“Sorry. I noticed you were reading ‘Howling at the Moon’. It’s one of my favorites,” she said.

“It is? I just got it today, but haven’t heard about it beyond the book store clerk’s recommendation, so it’s nice to know that it has at least one good review.”

“Blake.” She held out her right hand.

I draped my book over a leg to keep my place and held out my left hand, wagging my stump so she would notice. “Taylor.”

Her eyes widened and flush reddened. She quickly switched hands to shake mine.

We both returned to reading, in silent companionship from the shared joy of stories.

Only to be interrupted by a long “Hellooooooooo,” being sung, accompanied by a sharp gasp.

A wide smiled, buxom, blonde girl with lilac eyes and a heavy mane of sunny hair dragged a shorter girl with hair that went from black at the roots to crimson at the tips by the arm toward us.

The blonde wore black short shorts and an orange tank top with a logo like flames on the front that revealed her midriff and toned muscles.

Her unwilling companion had a sleeping mask, a black tank top with a pink heart-faced dog on the front, and white pajama pants with a rose pattern. She looked younger than everyone here, maybe fourteen or fifteen compared to the standard seventeen of the first-years.

The blonde waved excitedly at Blake, who seemed more interested in going back to reading.

The red-haired girl was locked on me, stunned to the point of being oblivious to everything around her. Her eyes were silver, clear and pure.

Had this girl never seen an amputee or something?

“I believe you two may know each other,” the blonde said confidently to Blake while gesturing to the younger girl.

“Aren’t you that girl who exploded?” asked Blake, which raised some questions.

The blonde looked to her companion, then to me with confusion.

“Can I help you?” I asked, hoping to stop whatever staring match had apparently started.

“Uh, Ruby?” the blonde asked.

_ Wait, Ruby? _

The younger girl let out a little sniffle, her lips quivering slightly as small tears gently fell from her face. Ruby’s face seemed to scrunch up in emotion. I didn’t get the chance to think as she let out a sob before she dive-tackled me into an embrace.

“You’re okay!” Ruby cried out and hugged me to the ground.

I let out a coughed gasp from the impact as Ruby began muttering on top of me.

“Oh! You’re okay! I was so worried! I went to the hospital but they told me you had left, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should look for you or anything. I wasn’t sure if you read the card to even know about us! The card was Yang’s fault by the way. I-would-have-made-another-one-but-Dad-said-that-we-would-use-it-anyway-because-we-fought. Iwasscaredthatyouhaddisappearedandsomethinghadhappenedtoyouagain.” Her words went from a mile a minute to lightspeed.

“Wait. This is the girl from the hospital?” the blonde girl said in disbelief, her face peeking from behind Ruby’s head.

“Can I get up?” I said to the roof of the ballroom.

“Oh! Sorry!” I felt the weight on me vanish and a wave of wafting rose petals took its place. When I sat back up, Ruby was already standing beside the blonde girl. “I was just really relieved. I know I haven’t actually met you before, and I don’t even know your name. But after I found you and everything that happened, I visited you a couple times in the hospital. And then you disappeared, but now you’re here. And then I saw you and—”

“Ruby!” the blonde girl interrupted.

“Uh yeah. Um, I’m Ruby Rose, and I’m glad you’re alive.”

What was this? “Uh, you’re welcome? From what you said, you were the one who found me and got me to the hospital?”

Blake glanced between us with raised eyebrows, obviously wondering about the events we were talking about.

“Um, yeah, that’s right,” Ruby said shyly.

My gut squirmed and my thoughts went hazy. Resentment, confusion, thankfulness, and a whole host of other feelings waged war.

She had saved me, from a death I asked for. My ending stolen.

Now I was trapped, never to see my friends or Dad again.

All because this kid had to be a good Samaritan.

But I’d also gotten a chance to learn to do better—to do things right.

A savior that I could only begrudgingly thank. An anger that wasn’t for her clawed and lashed about.

_ Ruby did nothing wrong _ . I gripped that thought, using it to stifle my bitter rage.

She’d saved the life of a total stranger and felt responsible enough, or maybe was just too damn caring, to visit that person, even give them a card.

My swarm vented for me, letting me keep my mask on.

How do you reconcile asking to die and then living?

“Thank you, Ruby. You saved my life,” I forced out quickly to avoid any silence. I sounded honest; I didn’t know if I was.

Had Ruby been the one to discover me because she was the type of person who would have helped me? Or was there another reason? Another step in some Path?

Ruby blushed and looked at her feet, wiping tears on her wrist. “It-it was nothing really. I did what anyone would do.”

“It wasn’t nothing, Ruby. You heard her. You saved her life. Be proud of that,” the blonde said warmly. “I know I am.” The blonde picked Ruby up by the waist and gave her a squeezing hug. “Oh, I’m so proud of my baby sister.”

They were sisters? Were genetics that diverse on Remnant or were they adopted siblings?

Ruby struggled in her grip but didn’t really commit to it. “Not now, Yang, let me go!” She let out a few sniffles between gasps of air.

“What in the world is going on over here! Don’t you realize some of us are trying to sleep!” a voice snapped.

A pale girl with hair like snow that draped down below her butt had marched over to Yang. She wore a pale blue nightdress with frilled edges around the collar and sleeves, the color of ice, like her eyes. A visible scar ran straight and clean over her left eye.

“Ugh, not you again! We’re celebrating over here, so buzz off, buzzkill,” Yang stated with ire.

“Then celebrate elsewhere, you brute! You’re disturbing everyone here with your horseplay.”

“Uh, Yang, she’s right. People are trying to sleep,” Ruby said.

The new girl crinkled her nose when she noticed Ruby. “I should have known that this brute would have been an associate of yours.”

I wasn’t sure if this was real. Some cartoon villain of a stuck-up princess came up to play the role of teacher instead of asking for one. If she had asked politely instead of all this, she would have gotten her way.

I memorized my page, stood up, and snapped my book shut between Yang and the princess.

Both reared back from the sharp clap.

I caught the eyes of the white-haired girl and felt… annoyed and tired. Disappointed too? I couldn’t believe I was dealing with some two-bit school bully.

“W-what is it?” There was hesitation where privilege had been.

“They’ve stopped, so please stop wasting our time and go to bed.”

She stuttered a gasp at my ‘audacity’.

“My name is Taylor by the way. It was nice to meet you. And thank you again for everything,” I said to Ruby and Yang, my back now turned to dismiss the white-haired girl.

“Yes, um, nice to meet you—again, I guess. But you weren’t awake… so I guess this is the first time…” Ruby said awkwardly.

“Oh yeah, forgot the intros. Name’s Yang. Nice ta meet you too.”

“ _Excuse_ _me_. How dare you just ignore me!”

“ _ Quiet, _ ” I said. “There are people trying to sleep.” Yang let out a sharp laugh. “Goodnight.” I nodded to them, then Blake, before gathering my sleeping bag to find a spot for the night.

I could feel the haughty girl fuming behind me.

She had better not become an issue. There were more important things to focus on than dealing with a high school bully, of all things.

* * *

_ Ruby _

Holy. Moly.

Taylor was here.

I was so worried when she had disappeared. No one knew if whoever had shot her had found her or had taken her away!

But not only was she okay, she was at Beacon!

The rush of relief gave way to excitement.

There were just so many questions!

What happened? Why’d she disappear? How’d she end up at Beacon?

She must have been some kind of Huntress in-training. I had found her in a full suit of weird and kinda scary body armor… but I had to unlock her Aura so that couldn’t be it…

Unless she was some kind of spy or—my eyes bulged—A SECRET AGENT.

I fought back a squeal and looked around to make sure no one had noticed me.

Mysterious costume, equipment, who had just been brutally attacked by villains. Now, with the bad guys knowing her identity, she came out of the shadows to become a Huntress!

Well, probably not, but it would be so cool if that was it.

I was just so glad that Taylor was okay.

Not only that, but it meant I had one more person I knew at Beacon. That’s plus one friend… Okay, plus one acquaintance.

That would make things so much easier. I wouldn’t have to worry about not knowing anyone besides Yang, yells-a-lot, Jaune, or… We hadn’t talked to the other girl! That had been the whole point of going over there! 

_ No! Gotta focus on the positives. _ Taylor was a new potential friend. With Yang and Jaune, that meant we had enough people for a team, so I wouldn’t have to work with some stranger and probably make myself look like an idiot. 

First, I had to get to know Taylor more. We could talk about how I watched her sleep at the hospital—wait, no, creepy. There was us meeting at Beacon! Where I tackled her out of nowhere and made a huge fool of myself… Something else then. Um, how about how we met—nope, that was worse. The memory of all the blood still made me shiver.

_ ARGH! _

I threw my hands up in frustration.

_ Why is talking to people so hard! _

I started crying right off the bat too!

_ Stupid. Stupid. _

Taylor seemed… nice, at least. Kind of scary... Her expression never seemed to change either… Except for that look of disappointment mixed with scolding, with a dash of death glare. It did make that Weiss-girl clam up, which was pretty funny.

Well, it didn’t matter. She was at Beacon, so it had all worked out.

We’d get to learn to be heroes together.

**Chapter 7 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, ccstat, Majigah, and Breakingamber for their help going over this.
> 
> I don’t want to jump off canon without reason, so the derail will be slow, but it will happen. It’ll just be based on Taylor’s actions, thus the butterflies will need some time to start knocking over dominoes. By Volume 2, canon is dead. I… I don’t think any of the canon events from Vol 2 actually occur, and the same for everything else onward. Maybe some things, but none of the major events. 


	8. Setting the Board: Part 1

* * *

_ Taylor _

I awoke from a thin sleep to a silent ballroom.

Dawn poured through the cracks between drapes, leaving blades of light over the sleeping figures around me.

A month of chaos and constant interruptions hadn’t seemed to have shaken my body from the routine I had before the Slaughterhouse emerged, because I still woke up bright and early.

I quietly rose, faint snoring and sleeping bodies all around. I placed my sleeping bag back on the table I had gotten it from, beside only two others that had been returned before mine. 

All that was left was to get ready. 

My ribs didn’t twinge, and a few stretches made me more restless than the soreness I had expected.

I changed into some workout clothes, a pair of black shorts and a white sports shirt, and went for a jog around Beacon.

The perimeter around Beacon was much longer than my usual runs, but Aura warded off any fatigue, and running helped me unwind.

I had rammed into some of the White Fang members by accident because I wasn’t used to my speed. Grimm would be less forgiving if I did the same thing, so it was also an opportunity to practice.

Having enhanced strength and speed was different. I stumbled the first few times I engaged my Aura, my missing limb not helping my stride. The instantaneous bursts of acceleration took some time to get used to, but by the time I finished my lap, I was no longer tripping or rocketing off.

After a trip to the communal showers, I changed into my temporary combat uniform—I’d be using it until I found enough spiders to weave a new suit… or something. I hesitated on making a suit like before. A return to form wasn’t what I was after. 

With Aura, spider silk wasn’t explicitly needed, but extra protection and preparation were always smart.

Maybe I would ask Coco if she had any ideas. Her focus wasn’t on just looking good, it was using the best equipment and making it look good. Knowing what Remnant had to offer for armor was right up her alley. 

For now, I wore black tights, a black, fitted turtleneck, and a pair of dark gray combat boots.

Aura made the weight of metal armor negligible, which I took advantage of.

White armor plates went over my shins, and a gloveless sleeve of black fabric covered my forearm, cushioning the white vambrace strapped to it. The edges of the trapezoid plates were almost sharp enough to cut.

A charcoal vest that crossed over itself to make a line that ran up the side of my abs and zipped diagonally across my chest to close. Gray lines—the same gray as my Aura—ran parallel to the zipper while straight lines that jerked in different directions but never crossed went up the sides. The collar walled around my neck without touching it, white trim around its edge. Four small silver buttons decorated the stomach of the vest while more white armor plates formed spaulders.

Another piece of white armor curved along the back of my neck and followed my spine down to the height of my belly button.

Next was a white belt that split along its length, only joining at the buckle and back, so that the strap was secured round the top and bottom of my hips. The four straps of the belt met in the back to secure the sheath of my sword, all held together by a metal clip.

With all its accents and line decorations, the outfit looked more complex than the relative simplicity of my cape costumes, but it fit in with Remnant. Image could be important, another tool on the belt, but I still felt dumb wearing it. Practicality buried beneath too many accessories and flair.

Bugs gathered and hid underneath my armor and in my hair.

Nervousness settled on my skin like a cool breeze, and in my stomach like a cramp. I could only nibble at my breakfast.

My bugs finished a second underground den and moved on to another. I turned on the breeding cycles of another group of bugs and began the process of building up my swarm in the first den.

“All incoming first-year students, please prepare your equipment for the initiation and report to the cliffs south of Beacon near the marker I have sent to your Scrolls as soon as possible,” Goodwitch’s voice announced through the P.A. system throughout the school.

I went back to the lockers where I had stored the rest of my belongings.

Other students had made their way into the large room, most already changed. Bugs slipped under folds of armor or into long hair. Mostly gnats and small flies, all in places where they wouldn’t be noticed.

The lockers had a rocket functionality so they could launch toward a location marked on your Scroll. A quick and ridiculous way to retrieve weapons or ammo. Until the students got assigned their dorm rooms, they were also being used to hold all of our belongings.

I made a mental note to see about getting a terrarium or two that could survive the landing of the rocket locker. An instant way to deliver reinforcements for my swarm.

A holster with my gun nestled within was strapped around my thigh, a knife was in my boot, and my sword was snug in its sheath. I loaded the Dust rounds into two spare magazines and tucked them into pouches on my belt, then tied the sleeve of my shirt over my missing arm.

I was ready.

Around the corner, my bugs caught a flash of motion.

The motion was perfect, mechanical, efficient.

A spear of gold and red blurred past and pinned a boy by his hoodie to a pillar down the lane in front of me.

The spear-thrower walked into view. She had green meadow eyes and crimson hair, more red than fire, than blood, than sunsets. An Amazonian body adorned in golden bronze armor, almost Grecian in design.

It had happened so quickly. There were a few parahumans I had bugged that moved as fast, but none with that degree of skill as well. 

Well, except Alexandria, but just having to use Alexandria as a comparison spoke of her skill.

This was what Aura could do, and she was using it to bully some boy.

A high school bully, of all the things I had to deal with.

Then, the haughty girl from yesterday stepped from behind the bully.

She wore a skirted dress that didn’t reach her knees, a ‘coat’ that wrapped around her arms and upper back only, and heeled boots—all noticeably high quality. Nothing that I would have considered a Huntress would wear, and definitely not something I would have thought of as combat attire.

The only thing that showed she was ready for battle was a thin rapier on her belt; it had some kind of revolver casing in its guard.

Her hair was pulled into a small ponytail on the right side of the back of her head and was pinned with a tiara-styled clip. The unorthodox placement of the hairdo rebelled against the strait-laced princess image she presented.

My first thought was of Emma and Sophia. An idiotic shadow of a memory that didn’t have a place in the moment, but it still cast itself over the girls.

It was so insignificant, yet my chest tightened and a frown flashed across my face. I blinked the annoyance away as quickly as it came.

School was making me remember all the simpler, pettier things I used to have to deal with; or maybe I was reaching out for the familiar, even if it was unimportant and unwanted stuff.

“Again, all first-year students please report to Beacon cliff immediately,” another announcement stated.

The entitled girl sauntered past the pinned boy, giving a haughty scoff as she did, then she noticed me and scowled, but continued to the cliffs.

The red-haired girl walked by and pulled out her spear. “It was nice meeting you,” she said in what sounded like genuine earnestness. I wasn’t sure if she was mocking the boy or not, but her apparent association with the white-haired girl didn’t give her tone credence.

The boy mumbled something and both Yang and Ruby walked up to him.

Yang’s combat uniform consisted of a tan short-sleeved jacket with black cuffs over a yellow shirt that showed off her midriff and chest. A matching colored belt with a pleated piece of fabric wrapped around her waist and back, leaving an opening that showed a pair of black short shorts. It was an outfit that shouted confidence. 

Not something I would have considered for battle, but technically it was better than the haughty girl’s choice.

Yellow metal bracelets with pointed plates were on each wrist, resting on black fingerless gloves. Her weapons?

Ruby continued the odd outfit trend with a black and red dress, covered with a corset and long sleeves… What was the word? Lolita? Damn Imp, for making me know what that was.

A bright, red hooded cape was pinned on her shoulders by tiny, silver crosses that matched the large segmented rose ornament on her belt. Little Red Riding Hood in the flesh.

Only the Amazon had an outfit that looked ready for combat so far, despite the short pencil skirt.

Yang noticed me. “Hey Taylor, you catch Casanova’s little show here?”

“I caught the spear part.”

“Actually, I think the pillar caught it,” Yang said, amusement at her own quip shining in her grin.

She was joking, so maybe the bullying hadn’t been as extreme as I thought. That didn’t mean I excused it though, and hurling spears around wasn’t acceptable either.

“Alright, I guess we’ll see ya on the field. See you there, and have fun with your  _ friends _ !” She gave Ruby a pointed look while nodding at Jaune and I.

“Y-Yang?!” Ruby squeaked, but the blonde was already dashing out the door. “Um, uh, morning, Taylor! H-how was your sleep?” Ruby asked, with nervous energy. Probably worried about the initiation.

“Fine, thank you.”

“Oh, uh cool. That’s cool…” Ruby drew out her words.

“A little help?” Jaune piped up, still slumped against the pillar.

“Oh! Sorry, Jaune.” She pulled Jaune’s arm around her to help him walk.

I waited for them to set the pace, but no one moved. Jaune looked as confused as I was, eyeing Ruby, who was stealing glances at me. Did she need something?

“Umm, sword! I mean, uh, I see you have a sword, Taylor,” Ruby asked, awkwardly yet with passion.

“I do.” Was she trying to get an idea of my capabilities, or just scoping out the competition?

“Yes! I mean no! I mean… W-What does it do? What’s it called? I got Crescent Rose here.” She patted a big slab of red metal strapped behind her waist, almost hidden within her cape.

“You named your weapon?”

“Of course!”

Aura could be transferred into a weapon, but Aura was harder and less efficient the farther from your body you tried to use it. Fist fighting with Grimm was viable because of this. Though, the durability and use of a weapon made up for the loss of Aura effectiveness when filling your weapon with Aura.

If Aura did have an efficiency factor for familiar things, then if I named my weapon to personalize it, would using Aura through it be easier?

“It’s just a sword. Same with the gun.” I was never good with names anyway.

“Oh, like Jaune’s weapon then. A fan of the classics?” Ruby asked.

“Sure.”

“Ah.” She proceeded to open and close her mouth but no words came.

Eventually, she focused on the path ahead with a cringe on her face. Was not having a named weapon that amateurish?

I joined Ruby on the other side of Jaune wordlessly, my height better suited to support him than her’s, and we started toward the initiation.

“Thanks, Ruby. You too, uh…” Jaune paused as he realized he didn’t know me.

“Taylor.”

“Jaune. Jaune Arc… Have we met before?”

“Technically, no. We did cross each other on your way out the airship to Beacon though.”

His head slumped. “Does everybody know I barfed?!” Jaune groaned.

“Not everyone. Just everyone we’ve talked to, vomit boy,” Ruby said with a snicker.

Jaune’s groaning was the picture of social defeat.

* * *

Grassy plains ended in a craggy cliff that overlooked a sea of emerald leaves, spreading endlessly into the distance. Hills and mountains were faint outlines against the blue sky.

The students lined up on individual square panels decorated with Beacon’s logo: a pair of twin crossed hand axes surrounded by a circle with a laurel wreath.

I separated from Ruby and Jaune and headed toward the last empty pad near the front of the line, surveying the other participants as I went.

The students were calm. Some, like Yang and a girl with short orange hair—who was  _ also _ wearing a short skirt—were excited, holding their weapons with familiarity. They were clearly used to combat, or at least, the prospect of fighting monsters.

Attacks from the Grimm must have been such a common aspect of life that all of them, especially the ones who had been trained in combat schools before applying to Beacon, had fought Grimm before.

I was at a definite disadvantage in terms of experience fighting Grimm. Not to mention Aura use.

At least, I assumed we would be fighting Grimm for the initiation, since we had been brought to an open wilderness. The bugs in the forest had landed on a boar Grimm, called a Boarbatusk from my readings, that had stepped into my range.

Regardless, the student’s attitudes weren’t serious enough, not when we might be in a life or death situation soon. Most were too eager; chips on their shoulders, fire in their eyes, and weapons in their hands.

Did they understand what they were in for?

How many of them would make it to graduation? How many would continue on when a friend or teammate died, leaving the safety of their walled city for the outside?

Even more so, would they be able to fight and kill something other than Grimm when it came down to it?

Grimm were evil by nature and weren’t something anyone would feel any trepidation over killing.

A person though? That took something more. I knew. I remembered what it took.

I clenched my fist until the memories passed.

Hopefully, Beacon trained them to survive what the world was going to throw at them.

My bugs had found their way under the plate I was standing on. Gears and what felt like pistons… A mechanical launching mechanism.

_ They were going to catapult us?! _

Ozpin began to speak, a mug of cocoa held comfortably in his hand. I hoped Aura helped with diabetes, for his sake.

“For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest.”

_ And that involves launching us off a cliff instead of just dropping us off in the forest itself? _

“Now I’m sure many of you have heard about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today,” Glynda announced.

A few students muttered but Ozpin didn’t seem to care. “These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years.”

_ Shit _ .  _ Fuck _ .

I had read that Huntsmen operated in teams of four, but… I wasn’t ready for what a team would need from me—what I should give.

Everything and everyone I had just lost, that I tossed to the side for my goals. I needed time to learn how  _ not _ to be that person—Skitter, Weaver, or Khepri.

Dread ran down my back like cold water. I needed time to…. To change, to think, to understand; I wasn’t sure which.

Insects squirmed and buzzed to the degree that I had them retreat from the area to avoid being heard or seen. It took all my concentration to not have the bugs planted on the other students thrash about too.

_ Focus _ .

“You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die,” Ozpin continued, oblivious to my near emotional breakdown.

“You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation.” That meant cameras and surveillance throughout the forest, so I wouldn’t be able to use my bugs for things besides scouting and other less obvious means then. “But our instructors will not intervene.” A lie. They wouldn’t let kids die during a try-out, and I didn’t hear the gravity of the potential deaths in his words.

“You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately.”

Simple enough. Although, if you were being graded on your performance and didn’t do well enough, could you fail, even if you returned with a relic? I’d just have to work with what I had and hope.

“Also, some of you have noticed that there is an odd number of you present. Normally, extra participants would be put into another of the initiation rounds. However, this initiation is the last one scheduled and all the other first-year teams have already been assigned. Thus, there will be one person who will not be able to find a partner. If you find yourself in this situation, then you must retrieve the relic that is unique amongst the rest. Be warned, not only is this relic hidden, if too many of the other relics are taken before the lone student arrives, then it will be impossible to uncover, leading to the failure of the test. Retrieving the hidden relic will guarantee passing the initiation by one’s self. Now, are there any questions?”

I had my mission.

Get the unique relic, skip having a partner, avoid being on a team until I was ready.

A knot in my chest sank with the gravity of the situation, blood in my ears deafened me to someone’s question and Ozpin’s answer.

If I didn’t pass this test, there wasn’t anything for me to do, or anywhere for me to go.

First, my world had been saving Dinah while trying to help in the wake of Leviathan. Jack Slash was next. For more than two years, everything was about preventing him from ending the world… which I had failed at.

There was never anything beyond that. No plans, no dreams.

Now… there was no real endgame, no destination. There was only the journey. One to try and become a person who could have done things better, who would do things better.

I didn’t really care for the title or position, but becoming a Huntress was hopefully a step in the right direction.

Failure meant I would be forced to leave Beacon, with nothing but my guilt and no way to go forward.

I  _ needed _ to pass this.

The bugs that had begun disabling the launch pad beneath me stopped.

Ozpin wouldn’t fling students to their deaths. Aura users must be able to make the landing. Ozpin had allowed me to take the test, so I had to be skilled enough, or at least able to make the landing… hopefully. Being flung might also be a part of the test.

It would be like when I learned to do crash landings with my flight pack, only a few stories higher…

The other students crouched into stances, and many drew intricate and complex weapons. Automatic pistols with curved blades dropping from the muzzle. Yang’s bracelets unfolded to become gauntlets with gun muzzles peeking out over her knuckles. The orange-haired girl had a grenade launcher that unfurled into a giant maul.

I boggled at the weapon’s size.

The girl wore a short pink skirt, with pink and white shoes and gloves. Her top was white with black sleeves and had a heart-shaped boob window.

Nothing reflected the necessary strength needed for her weapon.

The chainsaw-wielding White Fang member had arms as thick as my waist, while this girl had a more toned physique, more muscular than me, but not at a bodybuilder level by any means.

With a metal clang, the first student was catapulted into the air, and I returned my focus to my inevitable flight.

The student wasn’t screaming, and none of the other students looked worried, so landing without grievous injury was possible.

I quickly switched my gun ammo for my Ice Dust rounds.

Another student fired off into the sky.

Extra bugs snuck onto the student beside me. I hoped to get an idea on how to land based off what he did.

A blink, and he was gone, hurtling into the distance. I was next.

My world filled with the rush of Aura. It knitted through my muscles. Warmth like sitting by a fireplace, like a hug, like a blanket, wrapped around me.

I was careful not to pull too hard on my Aura, to bring out  _ that _ feeling. It hadn’t been memories that I experienced, but echoes of things I had felt, strived for, and embodied, all at once. 

I bent my knees, feeling the mechanism below me whirling to life. The launchpad lurched forward, and I pushed off it.

Wind ripped around me, the trees an emerald blur, and bugs zipped through my range.

I angled my body to avoid spinning out of control, another lesson from using my flight-pack.

My flight reached its zenith, a brief moment of forward momentum without weight.

Then, I began to fall.

**Chapter 8 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Majigah, and Sigravig for their help going over this.
> 
> I had starting writing this before I had really read any RWBY fanfic, or knew about fanfic culture/steroytypes etc, so I didn’t really know that an initiation scene was not only super overly done in RWBY fanfic, but most barely got beyond it. Not only that, this one doesn’t really change much, but for how and when I started the series, it kinda needed to happen. Hopefully, things were different enough to be interesting. 


	9. Setting the Board: Part 2

* * *

_ Taylor _

Wind whistled along my cheeks as I soared through the air, arcing toward my inevitable landing. Aura protected my eyes when my fortified glasses proved they weren’t enough protection from the intense wind.

Trees stabbed into the sky just below me, getting closer every second. 

They had  _ really _ launched us.

The boy in front of me hit the treetops, spun around a few branches with whatever weapon he was holding, then landed in a roll. 

Others dragged their weapons along the trees to bleed their momentum, some had Dust to slow them, but many used  _ the recoil from the guns _ .

The amount of force a gun needed to slow someone down was ludicrous, not to mention the strength and durability required to not have their limbs torn off from using one.

None of which would help stop me from becoming a body in a crater when I hit the ground.

My flight path headed directly toward a large tree. So, I would be red paste on bark instead of a red mess on the ground. A small consolation.

I had a split second to react to my imminent collision.

My understanding of how Dust rounds worked proved lacking as I fired three ice rounds into the approaching tree.

I thought the Ice Dust bullets would sink into the target and explode out with ice, chopping off the top of the tree in my path.

Instead, ice spread along the surface of the tree, creating a giant tree popsicle.

Well, the red smear I left would be more noticeable against the ice than the bark.

I arced my back to let the wind resistance flip me enough to crash feet first instead of head first. My Aura flared around me.

Instead of crashing through the tree, the frozen section snapped off when I made contact, like breaking off an icicle hanging from a roof. My feet skidded across it, not finding purchase. My butt slammed against it painfully, and I ended up straddling the tree-cicle in the air. 

I flew toward the ground on the frozen missile I rode, swears leaked out in hissed mutters from my mouth.

Branches filled my vision, the crunch of wood all around me.

I braced my arm against the tree so that I wouldn’t whip my head straight into my impromptu frozen sled when it slammed onto the ground.

A thud that felt like thunder rang through my body as the tree hit and skidded across the grass. 

The world flew by as I clung on for dear life, before coming to a slow stop in front of another tree. The floor of the forest was torn bare all along my path.

I slid off the tree with wobbly legs and tried to comprehend what just happened. 

The frozen tree shifted and cracked into a pile of jagged pieces as soon as I was off it.

_ Holy shit. _

It had been a miracle that I hadn’t crashed into any other trees; I must have slid a hundred yards.

I tried to get my bearings with my bugs only to freeze as I felt the red-headed Amazon raise her weapon to throw from a high branch. The bugs under her vambrace lined up with the ones falling with Jaune’s screaming descent.

Was she was going to attack Jaune during the test?! Right off the bat?!

My swarm soared toward her, but it was too late.

A crack of gunfire propelled the javelin through the air at Jaune.

I stood, helpless. My bugs coordinated to strike at the bully so that she would fall into another swarm. She wouldn’t get away.

The spear caught Jaune’s hoodie, pinning him to a tree right at the edge of my range. The grouped bugs caught him yell out, “Thank you.”

I recalled my ambush.

Jaune’s launch had been a tumbling mess through the air, my bugs struggling to hold on as he flipped and spun. His Aura should have protected him from the fall. Or at least he should have been prepared in some way to land if he was allowed into Beacon, right? Every other student seemed comfortable with it.

I recovered from gunshot wounds to the head because of Aura, recovered from a Dust explosion in days, and watched Aura tank several bullets and lethal hits with ease. 

My escapade with the frozen tree made me confident Jaune would have survived the fall.

Did the Amazon save Jaune as a precaution? To get him in her debt? Or was she not committed to the bully role? If I had been misconstruing her character, then all the better.

Ruby sped toward— _ shit _ . The hooded girl had sprinted right into the white-haired girl. That was some bad luck.

The Amazon leaped from tree to tree toward Jaune, and I kept them in my range long enough to observe her helping him down.

Just as I started moving, a group of odd spiders came under my influence.

They were large, around the size of my fist. Their web sacs were abnormally large and a single thread held their weight. They were similar to orb-weaver spiders, but with curved chelicerae for biting. 

One ran up its web, and I found a large bird, the size of a hawk, spun in a cocoon. 

I had found my web spinners.

Jaune and the Amazon were talking, another pair of partners formed. I wasn’t sure about them either, but there was nothing I could do now. I needed to move.

I sprinted through the forest, Aura pushing me faster and faster. My bugs mapped out the area, and I avoided both Grimm and students. 

The dense terrain was easy to navigate through; the forest was infested with bugs. I headed deeper into the woods, away from the cliffs. 

I would kill some Grimm later, in case it was necessary for the test. First, I needed to get to the temple before the unique relic was lost to me.

* * *

_ Glynda _

The girl was a bullet through the forest, but one that refused to hit anything. A quick turn east and she avoided an Ursa. Another diversion north had her miss a thicket of thorns.

No sign of how.

I glanced over to Ozpin. His feed showed Weiss Schnee pacing around Ruby Rose. “So, Miss Rose has formed a pair with Miss Schnee.”

“Indeed, I believe the pair will be good for each other,” Ozpin said. His expression shifted into a frown as the two girls appeared to start arguing. “Though, not all beginnings are easy.”

_ Hopefully, Ruby will learn a bit of composure from the Schnee heiress. _

“It seems your evaluation of Miss Hebert was correct, she has shown no intention of looking for a partner. Her progress is rather staggering, as well.” 

“How so?” Ozpin turned to me, mildly curious.

“At her pace, she will reach the temple far ahead of the other students. I’m unsure how, but she is changing directions at odd intervals. When I checked the cameras, there were Grimm, other students, or thick brush she would have encountered had she not diverted course.”

“Perhaps her Semblance at work? Though, for her to be able to use it after having Aura unlocked for a little over two weeks without any formal training… It would be a rare case of luck or potential. Perhaps she is using it subconsciously?” 

“That could be the case. I haven’t seen any visible indication of her Semblance, if there is any. Some form of wide-ranged perception? Surely, she would have noticed her new abilities and asked about them though. A young girl waking up in the hospital without knowing anything… I would hope that she would be wise enough to inquire with others on the things that were happening.”

The girl was too put together for an amnesiac that had awakened from a hospital after being shot in the head. From my time with her, Taylor Hebert had seemed professional and reticent, yet troubled. The only emotion she showed was when she criticized herself. 

“Do you think she would have shared her abilities if she did learn of them?” Ozpin asked in that way that said he already knew my answer; a common occurrence.

“No. She hasn’t asked for help beyond the items she received from her first night here and the Lien for some basic supplies.” Which frustrated me. We were here to help. “Nothing about tracking down who she was, about things to learn, or anything. It would be admirable if it wasn’t so concerning.”

Ozpin hummed in mild agreement.

“I can see how you predicted she would not seek a partner if she was given the chance, but why give her the opportunity at all? Not to mention setting up some form of puzzle beyond what the others would have to do to get this ‘special’ relic.”

“The path alone is always the hardest. Not the hardest to choose, but the hardest to take. More so when your efforts are in vain,” Ozpin stated.

“In vain?” Had Ozpin set Miss Hebert up to fail in some way?

“One’s struggle may not always lead to the result we desire. It is a sad truth of the world, one we all must face.”

“I see.” I didn’t see, but knowing Ozpin, it was some form of lesson or trial. A hobby of his that was irritating, at times, but it produced results. I trusted he knew what he was doing.

I switched my camera feed to Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos just as they entered a cave that was obviously a lair for Grimm.

A sigh left my lips.

Ozpin would call the new teams interesting, but I could already see the trouble they’d cause.

* * *

_ Taylor _

The Emerald forest was aptly named. No leaf was anything but the crispest summer green, despite it being early fall by Remnant’s calendar.

I hoped Earth Bet’s dates didn’t line up with Remnant’s. It would mean that I had somehow lost two or more months of time. 

The trees never ended, and I hadn’t found any clue as to where the temple was. Twenty minutes of running, the other students long since out of my range, and nothing to show for it.

Bugs crawled along until they found more old footprints, hopefully from earlier initiations. Many went in random directions as students hunted for the relics, but all of the trails headed back toward the cliffs came from one direction. Those were the paths I followed.

I stopped twice when there was a blind spot in the cameras hidden in the trees and bushes. Chances to gather more bugs under my armor.

Werewolf-like Grimm, Beowolves, prowled nearby. A gigantic snake Grimm, a King Taijitu, had burrowed in a coil under a pile of rocks farther ahead. 

I took a wide berth away from both before returning to my tracking, which led me to a small open plain with a stone structure in the middle of it.

No one else was in the vicinity, but there were too many cameras to scout completely with my bugs.

The temple was more of a ruin. Half of the stone walls had long since collapsed around the circular structure. Round pillars held up the remains of a large open circle of stone that had once circled the outline of the ceiling of the open temple. A pointed flower-like design was carved into the floor. At its edge, twenty-five pedestals remained fully intact despite the temple’s state, each holding tiny figurines.

The ‘relics’ were chess pieces, one for each pedestal. Half were a dull gold, the other a matte black. Chess, another similarity. 

There were twenty-four pieces in total, two of each color for each type of piece respectively. 

One pedestal was empty. 

None of the other pieces were missing, unless there were three of one piece for some reason.

That meant the unique relic might have already been taken.

My hands tightened into fists, my heart’s rapid rhythm reverberating in my ears. 

Stop. Focus. Ozpin had said the relic was hidden, and the temple looked undisturbed. 

I hadn’t lost any time searching for a partner or killing Grimm, and I hadn’t noticed any other students ahead of me with my bugs. 

_ Is this a puzzle of some kind?  _

My bugs washed over the temple like a wave, searching for clues or compartments. 

I didn’t find anything. There were only the pedestals and the chess pieces... 

Unease scratched in the back of my mind.

Ozpin had stated that if you couldn’t find a partner, then you needed the special relic. However, the special relic wouldn’t be available if too many of the other relics were taken first…

If I had taken the time to search but found out there weren’t any more partners, then too many relics would have been taken already.

Ozpin either expected someone to fail, or he knew that whoever went for the special relic wouldn’t have looked for a partner to begin with.

_ This was set up for me. _

It seemed so obvious now. I had jumped on the chance to not be on a team after my little panic attack, not even thinking of who or why that chance had come. 

Was I so transparent that Ozpin predicted I would react this way? Or was this another test to see what kind of person the mysterious gunshot victim was?

I hadn’t even known I wasn’t ready for a team until he’d said it!

Had I been manipulated into not having a partner or team? Did he want a lone agent? Had I not been careful enough with my powers that he’d been able to find out what I could do?

“Fuck… Fuck!” I paced around the front of the pedestals.

I didn’t like playing the pawn in someone’s game. Being pulled by strings to serve some unknown purpose.

_ Wait.  _

_ Pawn? _

The chess pieces were separated by color, the empty pedestal was by the black kings.

If too many pieces were taken, the unique relic would be impossible to recover. Then I needed the pieces for the puzzle.

I grabbed one of the golden pawns and walked over to the empty pedestal.

When a pawn reached the opponent’s side of the board, it could be promoted to another piece.

I set the pawn down. 

There was a click, and a small seamless compartment opened in the stone. 

Inside was a red queen chess piece, my prize. I tucked it into my pouch.

I should have been happy I had succeeded; instead, I fought back a scowl.

Ozpin must have been skeptical about my ‘amnesia’. This test had been for me, and an amnesiac remembering something abstract like chess rules… It wasn’t impossible, but it was doubtful. Now he had evidence to say I ‘remembered’ more than I was letting on.

Not to mention that it was a pawn promotion to a queen. A subtle message? Was I to be a pawn that would become a more important piece?

Or I was just paranoid.

“Fuck.” Again, I was playing his game, and I didn’t know the rules.

My contemplation was interrupted as a group of students leisurely jogged into my swarm’s perimeter, making a straight line to the temple. 

The first was a pretty blonde who wore—I huffed a sigh—a blue and white dress, a small scepter at her side. The boy I assumed was her partner glided along the grass beside her in a lazy posture, feet inches from the ground. 

A levitation ‘Semblance’?

A sly grin was spread across his face, and a long cat tail peeked out of his pink striped purple tunic, swishing lazily through the air. 

Another taller, more muscular girl, covered in black and red armor, had a heavy cleaver that resembled a guillotine blade more than a sword at her side. 

Next to her was a lithe girl dressed in cloudy white that matched her platinum hair.

The blonde that led them chatted with the boy, a curious expression on her face. The boy’s grin only deepened as he replied.

I still needed to kill some Grimm, in case we were graded on that.

This group would be nearby. If I got over my head, I could head toward them for help. 

“Chesh, would it be so difficult for you to hurry?”

“Haste makes waste.”

“That—oh! Looks like we weren’t the first ones here. I see you’re alone, did you already grab the special relic?” The blonde girl’s expression never changed from inquisitive.

I patted my pouch in response and nodded, more in acknowledgment than greeting. 

“This is the temple then?” I nodded, and she smiled. “Quickly now, we don’t want to be late.”

“Didn’t I just say that I rarely hurry?” the boy said.

I could have talked more, possibly traveled back to the cliffs with them, but I didn’t want to fight the Grimm as a group, not yet. 

Grimm were the monsters of this world, the enemy I’d be facing. Huntsmen commonly faced droves of them alone. 

While they were in my range, the other students had fought some, showing a level of martial skill that I was surprised by.

I needed to see where I stacked up. If I couldn’t handle a single Grimm, then there was no point in enrolling at Beacon, not when everyone else had years of combat school or equivalent experience. I’d be deadweight.

“Should we not offer help to her?” the girl dressed in white asked.

“Best everyone mind their own business if she doesn’t want to talk,” the blonde replied.

I looked back to see the pairs claim the black and gold queen pieces respectively.

I entered the treeline and went in the direction of a pair of tracks too deep and large for people.

An Ursa wandered along, without a partner that I could sense, despite their habit of staying in pairs. It was a young Grimm, smaller and less armored than older ones. The one I had killed outside the walls of Vale was easily twice as big and covered in spikes and bone.

I moved in a wide arc around it until I found enough cover to lay my trap. I crouched in a bush, long enough for the large spiders I had found to crawl from under my armor into the leaves, out of the nearby cameras’ sight.

They spun their triplines, and I drew my gun and lined up the shot. I knew exactly where the bugs on the Ursa’s hide were relative to me. It helped with accuracy.

I fired, and the sound echoed through the woods. A violent growl answered.

_ Now, come into my parlour. _

I fired another two rounds at the ground in front of my trap, the recoil registering before the sound reached my ears, and the grass froze over.

The cracks and heavy stomps of the beast thundered toward me as it bulled through any obstacle between us.

The Grimm appeared, its shoulder shrouded in ice, but it didn’t stop.

It hit the ice and slid, claws digging into the ground for purchase, but not before it went tumbling from my tripline.

With a dull thud that shook the trees, the Ursa landed in a heap. I emptied my magazine into its limbs. 

In an instant, its limbs were locked in miniature glaciers. Snarls accompanied the sound of cracking ice.

I rushed toward it, sword drawn and Aura flaring, and stabbed into its neck with as much force as my new strength could provide. The sensation of sliding steel into flesh was slightly sickening, but I pushed until the blade peeked from the other side.

The beast struggled, growls hoarse from the wound, but went silent as I gave the sword a sharp twist.

There was no gore or innards, just pure red flesh that shined like its eyes. Black smog sprayed out like steam, and then the Ursa dissipated. 

In a few seconds, the body was gone, and I was alone.

The hairs on my neck had been up the moment the Grimm had come close. Just being near it felt  _ wrong _ . 

I sheathed my sword and reloaded my gun.

That had been easier than expected. 

The Grimm weren’t especially self-preserving or intelligent enough to care for traps. Though, this one was on the weak end, and I had used up my entire cache of Ice Dust.

Just one Grimm wasn’t enough. Each student who had fought Grimm in my range had killed at least three.

I didn’t have to wait long until I sensed a group of three Beowolves in the distance. They were taller than me but had little bone armor. 

They prowled amongst the trees, their digitigrade legs launching them forward at unnatural speeds. Bugs latched onto their joints.

I set up another tripline but doubted it would work. Beowolves jumped and bounded around too much when rushing their prey; they’d avoid or leap over my trap.

Hunched in a bush, bugs on my target and gun perfectly lined up my shot, I fired.

Four cracks split the silence. One Beowolf howled in pain, and they all turned toward me.

I moved back into a section of woods with no brush around some large trees. Cover to stop them from building speeds and charging but enough room to dodge.

My mistake became apparent immediately as one of the Grimm sprung up a tree, claws biting into the wood, before it jumped to the next one. The trees only gave them something to pinball off of and gain higher ground.

I fired whenever I had a clear shot at the Beowolf I had already hit until the gun clicked empty.

It grunted and staggered with the last few shots, smog wisping from the bullet holes, and it tumbled to the ground.

The other two closed the gap between us, one from up high while the other weaved around obstacles. 

I dropped my gun—no time to holster it—and grabbed my sword.

The one on the ground barreled into view, eyes bloody crimson and teeth bared. Its partner landed on the side of a tree behind me, the sound of bark crunching under the impact like the cocking of a gun. 

The front Grimm lunged, teeth gnashing, and I dove into a roll; both to dodge and to put a tree between me and the other Grimm.

Air swept from a wild claw brushed my face, and I ended my maneuver in a crouch, just as the other Beowolf landed on the side of a tree in front of me.

Pinned and off-balance, I braced myself as the Beowolf springboarded off the tree and slammed into me.

Both my shoulders creaked as the Grimm’s claws crushed them into the dirt. My gasp of pain was cut off from the air being knocked from my lungs.

Its jaws snapped toward me, and I wrenched my head to the side, jagged fangs tearing into the earth beside my ear.

The Beowolf reared back its head again, my arm against the beast’s throat barely slowing it.

I bent my legs and planted my feet onto its stomach.

My vision filled with its black maw. My Aura raged, and its teeth clamped down a hair away from my face as I pushed it back with all my might.

The Grimm flew off, and I sprung back up, only for the other Grimm to whirl around to lunge at me again. 

Trees blocked any chance to dodge to the side, forwards would just get me killed quicker, and I couldn’t get out of range going backward.

So, I followed after the Grimm I had thrown up.

The lunging Grimm sailed under me, a stray swipe raking across my leg as it passed, but I ignored the pain as my Aura burned from the impact.

The Grimm floundered in the air, just out of reach to bounce around the tree like before, as it started to fall—right into my outstretched blade.

We collided and fell in a jumble of struggling attacks. It fought to either claw or push me off, while I sawed the blade through the wound.

I crashed to the ground enveloped by the dying smoke of the Grimm.

The remaining Beowolf roared and stood to its full height.

Despite the loss of the other Grimm, it showed no caution or change in tactics. 

It lunged, claws first and mouth open, while I rolled out of the way. With every pass, I danced away, back in the direction I had lured them from.

Aura-enhanced speed kept me out of reach, and the beast grew wilder, more savage with every charge. 

It took wild swings that left it off-balance or stumbling as it landed. It didn’t care about itself or stability, it just wanted to get me.

I hopped away, positioning myself. The trap was laid.

The moment the Grimm touched the ground it barreled toward me, its prey in sight, unaware or uncaring of the surroundings.

It fell over the tripline I had set up before. 

I smiled and dodged to the side as it hurtled by and smashed face-first into a tree.

It staggered, the crack of its skull against wood still in my ears, and I swung my blade down.

The Grimm’s body slumped as its head rolled away. 

I teetered back, hand against a tree for support, and caught my breath.

My shoulders ached and my legs stung from where I was hit, but my Aura held. Each impact and cut had felt muted, like it was through thick layers of cloth, but the pain was blunted instead of cushioned.

The headless Grimm didn’t fade as quickly as the others. I watched it slowly dissolve in clumps.

There may have been a reason for the varying times they took to disappear, but I hadn’t read about it yet.

It wasn’t size, as the second Grimm I killed was a few inches taller, with a much broader jaw. Nothing to do with the size of the wound either, unless larger wounds meant they disintegrated more slowly, against logical sense.

With a final burst, the black smoke petered into nothing.

It reminded me of Brian. Smoke, once a comfort, now only signified the presence of monsters.

I hoped he was doing well, living happily with Cozen.

The image of them twitched something in my mind that I didn’t recognize. I didn’t explore the feeling; it wasn’t the time, and I didn’t really want to know.

My heart was still hammering. Fighting something like a rabid animal was very different from fighting a person. Primal, in a way. Motivations and goals didn’t matter, since the Grimm didn’t have any. 

Biting back the fight’s leftover adrenaline, I retrieved my gun and frowned as I loaded it with my last magazine—the Lightning Dust.

The caliber and damage the gun could do were at least twice that of what I normally used. I had thought that was a good degree of firepower for battling Grimm, but it was trivial next to the guns the other student had. I still couldn’t believe they had used the recoil to halt or change their momentum in the air.

The amount of ammo I had brought wasn’t nearly enough either, another mistake resulting from my inexperience with how battles on Remnant played out.

I headed back toward the temple, in hopes that a group was there to travel back with.

My Aura had taken a hit, I was down to one magazine of ammo, my swordplay was mediocre at best, and I couldn’t use my bugs. I had seen the level of skill required to fight the Grimm, and I was lacking.

Then again, I could avoid Grimm less suspiciously and easily on my own… but if I hadn’t met whatever standard Beacon expected of the students then it would be pointless. 

With a group, I could witness firsthand what tactics and skills they had and hopefully learn from them.

With a group, there were more opportunities to satisfy that requirement with help.

Two individuals sauntered into my range, making their way across the small plains toward the temple. Yang and Blake, judging from their voices, outfits, and hair.

Yang had seemed like she had a more bombastic personality, while Blake had been much more subdued. These pairings weren’t promising so far in terms of personality meshing.

I wasn’t sure if I would get stuck with a partner if I met the eyes of a lone student, even after I had gotten the unique relic. Best to stick with a pair, especially one that I had met before.

A girl’s high-pitched scream pierced through the forest, too far away to help based on the echo. I hoped someone was nearby just in case.

An Ursa stomped toward the temple, but its movements were weird, labored, and stilted.

...There were two people riding on its back! 

The hammer of the orange-haired girl, I recognized. The other I wasn’t sure; any bugs I had left on him had either been crushed to death from a stray blow or had fallen off. Their Ursa slumped over as they exited the tree-line.

Why anyone would think it was a good idea to be on top of the monsters whose existence revolved around killing people was beyond me. 

A shrill cry pierced the air from in the distance, but it sounded like it had come from the sky.

My bugs found a strong enough perch on a nearby tree, and I scaled it, leaping from branch to branch until I reached a branch near the top.

Once upon a time, moving and leaping like that would have been fun and amazing. I wondered when that stopped being the case.

I peeked through the canopy of leaves and spotted a massive shadow zooming over the treetops.

It was massive, larger than all the Grimm I had killed multiplied many times over.

Unlike most Grimm, the only bone armor on the Nevermore was its mask, its talons, and the claws that jutted out of its wings. The rest of the giant bird was pitch black feathers that radiated the black smoke that all Grimm did.

A spot of red and white could be seen on its back between wing beats. Ruby and her partner had, somehow and for whatever reason, decided to  _ ride _ the monster that would probably kill us all.

My impression of the pair’s decision-making skills dropped significantly. 

I didn’t care what Aura made possible, there was no way they could get into a position to hurt or kill the Nevermore at that speed. All they would do was fall, and probably get eaten before they hit the ground.

Something big stampeded toward the temple. Bugs were crushed by falling trees and errant, stabbing stomps. 

The Nevermore passed over the temple, and I watched as Ruby was suddenly plummeting toward the ground.

I jumped down; the anxiety of falling from the top of the tree screamed at me, despite landing easily into a roll, totally unharmed thanks to Aura. 

Something collided with Ruby mid-fall and both landed in a tree—Jaune, based off the bugs under his back armor.

Trees whizzed by me as I sprinted toward everyone, my swarm gathering secretly just in case.

I hit the treeline and saw a giant scorpion Grimm, a Deathstalker, struggling to free itself from a glacier of ice.

The thing was frightening to see in person; the pictures had done it no justice.

Moss and dirt stained the stark white armor that covered its main body and enormous pincers, marking its age. A long tail ending in a curved, bright golden stinger wiggled and pulled inside the ice. Red lines curled symmetrically across the bone plating, intertwining around the Grimm’s ten orange-red eyes.

And Ruby and her partner were wasting time talking in front of it instead of coordinating an attack. None of the other three pairs were either.

I stifled my disbelief and focused on the Grimm.

It didn’t register to my powers at all, but that didn’t surprise me.

Grimm didn’t eat, sleep, or breathe. They were horrid imitations of the animals they were based on with no resemblance beyond appearances.

Cracks started forming in the Deathstalker’s prison. It would break free at any moment, the opportunity to attack missed. 

Ruby and Weiss seemed to realize that as well, and they rejoined everyone at the temple. Ruby and Jaune dipped in and grabbed a relic for themselves, and I jogged into view.

The only person I hadn’t met yet was a boy with long black hair tied in a ponytail, highlighted by a single pink streak that matched the color of his eyes.

He wore a green diagonally-buttoned tail-coat with black and gold trimmings and pink cuffs that seemed to have a Chinese influence.

The diversity in cultures on Remnant was weird. I had expected alien customs and attires, but most of what I had seen was something from Earth Bet, or an amalgamation of many outfits or trends. 

All these coincidences popping up were concerning.

The Nevermore cawed in the distance. It had flown off in a wide arc but was sure to come back for us. 

“Taylor! You made it,” Yang called over with a wave.

“Do you need to grab a relic?” Blake asked, collected despite everything.

Ruby and Jaune both walked back to the group, relics in hand.

“I already grabbed mine,” I said.

“Oooooo, you’re alone, so does that mean you got the special one?” the orange-haired girl asked, like an excited child about to be shown a magic trick.

“I did.”

“Can-I-see-it? Why-is-it-special? What-does-it-look-like?” Her body vibrated with feverish energy as she spoke, getting closer with each word.

“Nora,” the ponytail boy and most likely her partner said, a mild rebuke.

“Got it, Ren!” She retreated back beside Ren.

_ Guess that was a common occurrence for Nora. _

“Taylor, we’re heading back. Our mission is to bring back the relics so we aren’t going to waste our time fighting these things,” Ruby stated, an uncharacteristic determination on her face, or maybe it was just a side of her I hadn’t seen.

There was a chance we could get far enough away from the Deathstalker that it wouldn’t chase us before it broke free.

As for the Nevermore, with the trees as cover, we could force it to hover while it searched for us—close enough to reach it from the trees. If we damaged its wings and grounded it, then whittled it down with ranged fire, we could kill it.

But that would give the Deathstalker enough time to catch up, and the battle would be on two fronts.

No, they were right. We didn’t have to fight them. 

I didn’t like the idea of leaving a Grimm this strong alone to grow smarter and stronger, and my uneasiness about how well my combat skills had been graded so far buzzed in my mind.

No, all fighting them would do was put everyone in danger.

Besides, I wasn’t sure we would win even if we tried.

“Let’s go before that thing breaks free then.”

Ruby smiled and moved ahead to lead the group. “Come on everyone!”

_ Time to see this trial of yours through, Ozpin. _

**Chapter 9 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, Chris C, Majigah, and Sigravig for their help going over this!
> 
> There, some nice, shoehorned Alice in Wonderland references. Better than the half-assed Annie and pokemon references from before.
> 
> In terms of combat skill, Taylor would lose to… almost everyone except Jaune, really. Aura fighting is just too fundamentally different from normal fighting. Taylor’s training was nowhere near the level of a standard Aura user. She’s done a fair amount of hand-to-hand, but Aura allows for maneuvers, speed, and power that make a lot of what she’s learned useless or ineffective.
> 
> Also, the differences in power/skill between students is staggering. Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and CRDL made it into the Vytal tournament, even though the competition doesn’t have a cap on what year a student can enter (as far as we know, so I’m assuming there isn’t one). So, those teams are technically better than almost all of their upperclassmen (So Team CRDL is probably the fourth strongest team in the whole school).
> 
> Pyrrha beat all of Team CRDL at once, even though Team CRDL made it into the tournament. She may be one of the strongest students, if not the strongest student at Beacon.


	10. Setting the Board: Part 3

* * *

_ Taylor  _

The nine of us rushed through the forest back to the cliffs. Ruby zipped ahead, rose petals in her wake. 

Almost everyone was outpacing me, not a drop of sweat on their brows while I panted through burning lungs.

Jaune shared my troubles. He had bursts of speed that would trickle away until he was falling behind again. He didn’t seem used to Aura enhanced speed and frequently stumbled from moving too fast at times, like I had and sometimes still did.

His running form didn’t change and there wasn’t any sign of a Mover ability like Ruby—a Semblance, as they called the individualistic powers Aura gave people.

Semblances were supposedly the ‘expression of one’s soul’. Each ability was unique; no one had a Semblance that worked the same way as another, like parahuman powers.

Some were very noticeable, like Ruby’s trail of petals. I didn’t know when or if I would manifest one, or whether it would be as flashy. Another reason I couldn’t pass off my bugs as my Semblance. No one had ever shown two Semblances before; there would be questions or examinations. There also hadn’t been a recorded case of a Semblance that controlled animals or people.

Additionally, I worried over what mine would be. Semblances related to the person in some way, whether as a reflection of their personality or some other esoteric speculation. Regardless,  _ if _ it was true… I knew what kind of person I was.

I had entertained the idea of Aura being a parahuman power, the cold dread I felt then had nearly stopped my heart. However, Aura flew in the face of everything I knew about parahumans, not to mention how Aura and Semblances could be strengthened like a muscle. Aura was different in restrictions, how it was obtained, and its use, so it was likely something else entirely. I just wasn’t sure what that something else was.

Yang’s hair burst into yellow flames while her magenta eyes blinked into crimson. 

She fired her gauntlets backward, the recoil sending her sailing through the air, and her fist smashed through a Beowolf’s skull.

Ruby picked off the other Grimm, and we were moving on before I had a chance to slow down.

If Ruby didn’t kill all the Grimm while ostensibly scouting, then Yang helped, and Pyrrha carved through any they missed before the rest of us could even draw our weapons. 

Everyone reacted faster than me, something I hoped more Aura training would help with, but Pyrrha was head, shoulders, and feet above all of us.

A distant rumble like an army march was a constant reminder that the Deathstalker was hot on our tracks. Every tree or obstacle in its path was smashed or crushed under it, clearing a line through the forest after us.

The Deathstalker wouldn’t sneak up on us, but the Nevermore would go completely silent for a time. An occasional screech in the distance was our only indication that there wasn’t a beak about to stab through the leaves and impale us. 

“We have to do something about the Deathstalker,” I called out, and everyone slowed to a jog, still moving but able to talk.

“Why fight them if we don’t have to?” Weiss—the white-haired girl—asked pointedly. 

“If it catches up to us, it’ll knock over the trees to let the Nevermore flank us, then we’re screwed. Or, if we get slowed down by enough Grimm, it’ll catch up, and we’ll be flanked by those Grimm, the Deathstalker, and the Nevermore.”

“You sure? It sounds pretty far off,” Jaune said, more hopeful than arguing.

“It has been getting closer,” Ren said, his voice more serene than emotionless.

“It has?” Jaune gulped.

“The crashing of trees is more pronounced, and I’m starting to feel its steps.”

“What’s the plan?” Yang asked no one in particular, though she glanced at Ruby expectantly.

However, Jaune spoke up. “So, we set a trap for the Deathstalker, decide where to fight it?” His confidence ended halfway as we all turned to him.

“I like it,” Pyrrha said encouragingly. I wasn’t sure if she was being honest or not.

“What about the big birdie?” Nora asked.

“There’s a clearing ahead where the trees are a bit taller and bigger. The Deathstalker might not be able to knock those trees over,” Ruby stated.

“Then we lay our trap there,” I said, my swarm already in the area Ruby pointed out. “How are we going to get through its armor, or get close enough to hit an unprotected section with the pincers and tail?”

“Let’s just punch them until they break,” Yang said with an easygoing grin, Nora gave an enthusiastic nod in agreement.

“That isn’t a plan.”

“Do you have one?” Weiss was taking every opportunity to doubt me. I wouldn’t care for her need to have her way if it wasn’t in the field.

“If we can trap its legs and tail, then we can attack its body in its unarmored spots.” I doubted we could flip it over to get at its belly. “How much Ice Dust does everyone have? Weiss, could you trap it like before?”

“Once more, and it would be the last of my Ice Dust, but we can’t hit it if it’s encased in ice.” 

“We could freeze it right as it steps over a pile of everyone’s Dust and—”

“Boom!” Nora cut in, hands mimed an explosion.

“Then we charge it?” Jaune suggested. No one objected, so we had our plan.

We entered the small thicket, the trees old and towering above us.

“If we took some time, we might be able to knock over a tree on it. One shouldn’t lose enough cover for the Nevermore to get through,” Ruby said.

Two people couldn't reach each other if they hugged the tree from opposite sides, and they could bring one down? Aura made options available that I wouldn’t have even considered. I need to get a better idea of the capabilities of Aura users.

“Nora, think you can handle that?” Jaune asked. 

“I can be a lumberjack, no problem.” Nora flashed a grin that was hungry for action.

“We’ll cut into it, to make sure it falls the right way,” Pyrrha said with a nod to Ren, who returned the gesture. They started hacking at a tree, Ren with twin emerald pistols sporting long curved blades that hung like icicles from the muzzles, and Pyrrha with her spear that shifted into a sword. 

Deep lines and wood pulp came from each swing. The task was much easier than I had thought it would be.

“Then Pyrrha and Yang will engage, Weiss will prepare to freeze, Nora will be ready to take the tree down, and the rest of us will come at it from the sides?” I asked.

“Just yell timber.” Nora saluted, and everyone nodded in agreement. 

“I suppose I can agree to that,” Weiss said, not begrudgingly, but something was there.

“Alright everyone, let’s do this!” Ruby pumped her fist up with determination, her optimism infectious for the others.

I dumped all my Dust rounds except one into a small divot along with the others who had extra Dust. 

We waited for our prey.

The rumble of the Deathstalker’s approach could be felt through the ground, leaves vibrating and falling. 

Insects marked its limbs as it rushed toward us, and everything in its path was ripped apart or crushed. 

Two pairs of students followed the route the Deathstalker had carved through the forest, using the clear path as a quick trip back to the cliffs. The pairs were far enough away from each other that I didn’t think they were together, but both had the same idea.

I wondered if they would help us when they got closer, or go around.

We shared a tense, pregnant moment, weapons gripped white-knuckled, and breaths held with clenched teeth.

“It’s here,” I called out.

Two massive pincers burst from the brush and slammed into the giant trees barring its pursuit. 

Despite their size, the trees bent but didn’t fall, and the Deathstalker squeezed through the gap.

“Over here, you overgrown insect!” Yang yelled. _ Scorpions aren’t insects. _

She cocked her fist and punched forward, firing a round from her gauntlets. Pyrrha’s sword shifted into a long rifle, and the two fired at the Grimm.

It raised its pincers like a bulldozer, a shield for the incoming rounds, and marched forward. Each bullet bounced harmlessly off the monster’s hide.

Pyrrha and Yang’s barrage didn’t let up, but it didn’t slow the Grimm either. 

Then, it stepped into position.

“Now!” Ruby said, the slab of metal she carried unfurling into a deadly scythe taller than her.

Two white beads of light, like tiny shooting stars, launched from a snowflake sigil that Weiss formed in front of her. 

They soared in a targeted arc and exploded into ice all around the Deathstalker, trapping its legs and tail.

Spindly legs struggled against the icy bonds, we raised our guns, and the stinger stabbed into its prison like a snake’s strike.

“Shoot the Dust before that thing gets out!” Jaune screamed.

I aimed at the beetle perched on top of the pile of ammo and Dust containers and squeezed the trigger.

A volley of overlapping gunshots vanished in the consuming blast of sound and light as the Dust ignited. 

Dirt, chunks of ice, and sparks danced through the aftermath. 

The smoke settled, and the Grimm hissed angrily. The ground under it was black and charred, embers still glowing red, but beyond an increase of the black smog coming from its belly, it looked unharmed.

_ Fuck, this thing is tough. _

The ice was partially melted or broken apart, and a backhanded swing of its pincer freed one of its sides. The stinger pulled free next, patches of ice still clinging to it. 

“Nora!” I yelled out before drawing my sword.

Nora took two practice swings in a batter stance, then slammed the tree with a hearty grunt.

The dull thud led the way for the slow snapping of wood.

“Timber!” Nora watched triumphantly as the tree’s shadow grew over the Grimm.

The Deathstalker raised its pincers, clicked them in deadly promise, before catching the tree.

The ground cratered slightly under the Grimm from the weight of a tree twice as long as the giant scorpion and at least five feet in diameter. 

There wasn’t a single sign of strain in the Grimm.

Pyrrha and Yang were still firing away, but the Grimm used the tree as cover.

“What do we—” Blake began.

“Charge!” Ruby cut in, and everyone moved in.

The Deathstalker reared its arms back, letting the shots splinter against bone armor, the motion emphasized as though…

It was going to throw the whole damn tree and crush us.

I wouldn’t make it in time. “Stop it before—”

A red streak shot forward ahead of everyone, and Ruby slashed at the arms under the pincers. The tree shuddered as the pincer flinched from the blow.

“Keep on the pincers or it’ll throw the tree!” Then there would be nothing stopping it from breaking free.

A blur of black and green rushed the Grimm from flanking sides. Blake took a roundabout approach to the pincers while Ren took a more direct route under the shadow of the tree, leaving him in range of the Deathstalker.

The stinger of the Grimm bobbed and swayed between the two, deciding on who to strike, before it lashed out with lethal precision.

I didn’t get the chance to open my mouth for a warning.

Ren turned his head, eyes widening in realization as the stinger stabbed toward him, no time to dodge.

A pink and orange meteor crashed down onto the stinger inches from Ren’s face. 

The force of Nora’s spinning blow held her in the air for a moment as the stinger cratered and crunched under her hammer, her battle excitement cast aside for a deep snarl.

Ren made a noise that sounded like “Cerrraw,” as he passed Nora. Both him and Blake slashed at the flesh under the pincers.

The Deathstalker’s arms finally gave way, and the tree fell on top of it with a satisfying crack.

Ruby and I came down with our own strikes alongside Ren and Blake. We chopped until the pincers tumbled from its body.

Pincers gone, stinger crushed, body trapped, and still the Deathstalker fought back, frantically stabbed at us with its legs. Anything to attack us.

The tail flailed about like a whip, the stinger too mashed to function, but Yang and Nora took turns smacking it aside when it got close. The rest of us took positions around it, Pyrrha and Jaune shielding us from blows, and we began hacking at it.

The battle was straightforward after that. The Grimm fought to unpin itself unsuccessfully, while we stabbed and cut until it evaporated around our weapons.

Jaune fell backward in exhaustion. Everyone else besides Pyrrha panted slightly. 

“Thanks for the assist,” Ren said to Nora.

“Well, of course! I heard the distress signal,” Nora stated, yelling the first part and whispering the second like it was a secret.

“That… worked out surprisingly well,” Jaune said, still lying on the ground. 

“Yeah, great job everyone.” Ruby gave a thumbs up.

I wasn’t so sure. No injuries, yes, but we had it trapped and maimed, and it still took a solid two minutes of attacking to kill it. Most, if not all, our Dust was gone.

We couldn’t hit any ‘vital’ part of it, if Grimm biology even had vital parts.

I needed a stronger attack for Grimm like these, otherwise, I was doing no better than I had when I swarmed that Ursa with wasps. 

“I was kinda hoping for more face punching though…” Yang complained.

“Didn’t enjoy being the distraction?” Blake asked.

“I’m more of a frontline kinda gal. With an explosion happening behind me.” Yang put on a pair of aviators and posed.

“The Dust trap could have worked better,” Weiss huffed, shooting a glance at me. 

“I don’t think anyone was expecting it to shrug off that much Dust blowing up under it,” Ren stated.

“Well, I think it all worked out fine,” Pyrrha said happily, possibly an attempt to defuse the situation, though I didn’t think Weiss’s comment was really enough to cause any friction.

“I’m surprised no other Grimm attacked us during that,” Blake said.

She was right. We hadn’t been quiet, yet the Grimm in my range had even wandered away from the battle...

“I haven’t heard the Nevermore in a while,” I said. A cry should have been due.

“Maybe it flew off?” Jaune suggested hopefully.

“Well, we did totally kick its buddy’s butt,” Yang stated, hands resting on the back of her head.

I knew from several studies that Grimm didn’t show any care for their fellow Grimm. They also didn’t get bored; they pursued until they couldn't get their target or found a new one— _ shit. _

They had gone in the direction of the two pairs of students that had decided not to get involved in our fight.

“Or it found a new target.”

“We have to hurry then!” Ruby turned to move.

“Slow down. We don’t know where it is or if it is attacking someone. We should just head back to the cliffs,” I stated.

Ruby rounded back on me. “But—”

“We can’t help if we’re tired.”

She slumped, a small pout puffed her cheeks up around her frown. 

I started the trek, setting the pace, before she could protest.

We took it slow for a time to recover. Ruby quickly took point, but had to be called back so she wouldn’t rush off ahead.

All the Grimm I sensed moved toward the cliffs, either unaware or ignoring us.

A whining screech rent the air, louder than the Nevermore had made before. A chorus of growls and howls rose to follow.

Everyone shared a look of comprehension before we resumed our previous breakneck speed.

My bugs mapped the scene and latched onto the Grimm.

We broke through the treeline onto a vast plain. Scattered ruins and stone croppings led to a deep gorge that separated the forest from the cliff we needed to reach.

In the ravine was another circular stone temple, more intact than the one we’d found the relics in. It was built into the cliffside and held up by pillars and stone bridges that rose from far beyond my power’s range, a bastion against the vast bottomless abyss below.

An army of Grimm lined the edge of the cliff, a mass of snarling shadows in the sunlight. 

There were so many of them. My bugs counted over a hundred.

Beowolves, Ursas, and Boarbatusks batted and clawed at the empty air over the gorge at the stone temple, the pathway to the structure broken and lost.

The Grimm hadn’t bothered with us because they had tasted a new rush of negativity in the air. 

Two students, the ones that had been the farther pair following the Deathstalker, fired their guns along the cliffside from the roof of the small temple. The first pair must have already made their way up the cliffs.

I slowed but no one else followed.

“Everyone stop!”

They did, looking either frantic to help or eager to kill Grimm. We hunkered together under the canopy of one of the stone structures on the way.

A distant cry of distress from one of the students was barely audible over the growling of them Grimm. Everyone else tensed, knowing that someone was indeed in trouble.

“Why are we stopping?” This was the second time I had delayed Ruby in helping someone, and I expected to see some blame or accusation, but there was none. Not a hint. Her eyes were clear of everything except concern.

With another cry, the Nevermore swooped toward the two students, who jumped down off the roof into the room below with a panicked yelp, just as large talons clawed the space they were into rubble. 

The large bird Grimm cried out in what might have been frustration and continued its flight, preparing for another pass.

A daring Beowolf leaped onto the broken pillars that once held up a bridge and then to the next in rapid succession. 

It landed on the last one, prepared to lunge at the boys. They fired a barrage of bullets that sent the Grimm into the chasm below. 

“Why are we stopping?!” Weiss reiterated with annoyance. 

“There’s too many of them to charge in without a plan. We need a strategy, or at least a formation,” I said. Weiss huffed in response but didn’t protest.

Bugs marked the two boys. They were breathing heavily and obviously frantic. They had no escape and they weren’t really equipped to handle an opponent at long-range.

At the same time, clouds of bugs formed in the fight path of the Nevermore in hopes to grab on and follow its movements. Spiders rushed through grass and along the cliff face to spin webs and triplines, using the bodies of the Grimm as cover as they weaved and spun around their limbs.

“Obviously, Pyrrha and I will lead the front—our best fighters—while you all assist,” Weiss said, like it was plain as day. “We’ll create a wedge that cuts through the group to the temple.” 

“That’ll get us swarmed or surrounded if we can’t kill them fast enough,” I stated.

She spun on me, a scowl on her face. “Well, then what would  _ you _ suggest.” She didn’t know anything about me, yet was so self-assured that I wouldn’t come up with a better idea.

“Ruby in front, then Jaune and Pyrrha. Nora and Yang in the middle. Then Ren, Blake, me, with you at the back.”

“And how is that any better?”

I narrowed my eyes. She had just asked for a plan, and explaining it wasted time, but she wouldn’t listen otherwise. At least it gave my bugs more time to tie up the Grimm for the initial assault.

“The Grimm are spread out along the cliff's edge, so if we rush them, they’ll just collapse around us and we’ll be surrounded. We fire what we can and knock the Grimm off the cliff. Next, Ruby will move ahead so they’ll gather toward one point.”

“You want her to be bait?!” Yang asked with clenched fists.

“Yes, Ruby’s the fastest and has a good gun.” The girl preened and patted her weapon at the praise. “She’s the best at dodging or retreating if things go wrong. When they’re in a group, we don’t have to worry about aiming as much, and Dust explosions will hit more.” The blonde’s anger receded with a nod. Ruby didn’t protest either. 

Weiss’s obstinate expression broke down with every word. At one time, I might have taken satisfaction in that, now it just made me tired from the wasted effort. I made sure to speak to everyone and not single her out.

“Next is Jaune and Pyrrha, because they have shields.” And so Pyrrha could protect Jaune. Honestly, he didn’t seem to be good for much else. He threw my idea of what level of skill was expected at Beacon into disarray. “Nora and Yang are the heavy hitters”—Nora smiled and Yang tapped her fists together—“so they can crush or push back what Jaune and Pyrrha can’t wall out. Ren, Blake, and I run support for everyone. Make sure no one gets overwhelmed. Weiss has the best battlefield control with her Dust. She can take her time to take out huge groups.”

“How did you figure out our fighting styles?” Weiss asked with a small undertone of accusation, her last bit of resistance. The others watched my response, mostly with curiosity unlike Weiss.

_ Because I’ve been spying on you all with my powers.  _ “I’ve been paying attention.” 

Everyone shrugged or nodded, but Weiss stayed transfixed on me, an odd expression on her face.

“Okay, the plan has merit,” Weiss said, stepping to the back of the group. I was surprised she conceded so easily.

“And if we get attacked from behind? Or the Nevermore attacks?” Blake asked.

“Anyone coming from the back we’ll either see coming and reposition, or we’ll improvise. I doubt we’ll stay in formation anyway. Real combat doesn’t let you.” And we’re not trained enough for it, and we haven’t worked as a team beyond the Deathstalker.

We moved to get into range, and the temple, as well as all the Grimm, came into view.

Alcoves made of stone pillars lined the path leading to the various Grimm. The grass was a grayish dead hue that contrasted ominously with the vibrant green of the Emerald Forest behind us. It squished and broke apart with the lightest step.

“There’s two of them! On that structure,” Pyrrha said, eyeing the two boys through her rifle’s scope.

One was a blueish-gray haired boy in matching colored armor that wielded some kind of halberd-rifle. The other boy had a pale green mohawk with twin daggers that he slashed through the air to create waves of wind and fire. 

A gentle fog hovered in the ravine, a blanket to hide the depths below, as well obscuring the jagged pillars stabbing upwards from structures long since crumbled.

Wind swept through the plain like a wave from the Nevermore’s wings as it made another pass at the temple. The Grimm ignored the pillars that broke against it, talons outstretched and ready.

The boys dove to the side, rubble exploding from the Nevermore’s latest attack, leaving even less room for them to dodge next time.

“Everyone, together!” Ruby called out, and everyone who could fired, my bugs biting down into the Grimm as well.

The line of black monsters burst with pink blooms, fire, electricity, and shrapnel. The Grimm tripped or stumbled from the webbing, letting us continue our barrage for longer.

Black smog mixed with smoke and dust, and the Grimm charged through it. Many had been pushed off the side of the cliff, but I counted ninety-six more. Bugs crawled onto their joints, hidden in the black fur.

Ruby rushed forward with a trail of red petals, then rolled into a kneel, her scythe curled into a gun, and began firing away. 

The Grimm converged toward the younger girl, the line of Grimm becoming a mob.

One of the leading Beowolves sprang toward her with claws ready to swipe, but it hit air and petals as Ruby retreated back, using her gun’s recoil to shoot and back up simultaneously. 

A large sigil expanded above where Ruby had been, and I smelled ozone in the air.

The snowflake emblem crackled once, then bolts of lightning shot down in a flash of death. 

Embers rose along with the flakes of dying Grimm, but the monsters paid no mind.

“Yeah! That’s my partner!” 

“Stay focused!” 

_ Eighty-three left. _

Weiss panted lightly behind me, that display having tired her out.

Hearts thrummed, weapons were drawn, and gunpowder flavored the air. 

Then the Grimm were on us.

Two Boarbatusks spun along the ground like buzzsaws and slammed into Jaune and Pyrrha’s shields, who met them with a yelp and composed ease respectively. 

Yang and Nora stepped in and sent the two Grimm pinballing into the others.

My bugs bit down, distracting the Grimm or making them paw at their own hides, leaving an opening for the others.

Ren, Blake, and Ruby fired over the defenders, picking off any Grimm that tried to go around the killing ground that was Pyrrha’s reach. 

Yang and Nora sent any that got near flying. Jaune almost hid behind his shield, swinging wildly and at inappropriate moments. 

Weiss’s attacks were less frequent, but always devastating. Waves of flames and lightning raged with each wave of her rapier.

I barely helped. A stab or poke at a Grimm before it was swiftly defeated by another.

Pyrrha was a machine. 

Each spin of her weapon was to build momentum for another attack, each swipe set up the next.

She was killing so many that the Grimm weren't fading fast enough, building up a mound in front of her, and a particularly large Ursa took advantage.

It stepped off the corpses of its fellow monsters and loomed over all of us, its shadow blocking the sun as it descended in a body slam.

“Cheese it!” Ruby called and the group dove to the side, our formation broken.

I rolled to a standing position, my bugs sensing the approaching danger, and I kicked Jaune away while jumping off him.

A spinning Boarbatusk tore through the space we had been, a trench of ripped dirt and stone following it.

Nora and Pyrrha had pounced on the large Grimm, Pyrrha’s sword making a pincushion of its neck while Nora made pulp from its limbs.

Ren slid under the legs of another Ursa and jumped onto the shoulders of a Beowolf, both guns aiming down, and filled the Grimm’s skull with lead. 

Ruby and Weiss worked in concert. Weiss used her emblems to send Grimm flying into the air with what looked like areas of decreased gravity, allowing Ruby to zip up and hack them apart without retort.

Yang and Blake fought more independently but back-to-back, taking on individual opponents but not worrying about those behind them. Yang smashed Grimm after Grimm while Blake moved with deft speed to each one, delivering a series of slashes before moving on. 

Blake’s weapon was a sheath that was also a rectangular machete, and a sword-pistol that she used as a chain scythe thanks to the ribbon tied to its hilt. A weapon with so many forms could fulfill any combat role it needed to. Far off, up-close, a healthy medium. 

Pyrrha had a sword, shield, spear, and rifle, all carried in two hands.

It must have taken three times the amount of training to learn to use each form of the weapon, along with the time it would take to get the exact timing down for switching between the forms, not to mention using the different forms in combination.

But there was a benefit to it, one that I might take advantage of as well.

Insects swam through the grass and up the legs of Grimm. They chomped down on the side of the Grimm that was opposite me, making the beasts stagger or look away from wherever I moved.

The Nevermore made another pass, its wings cutting through a cloud of bugs. Most died or slipped off, but a few were able to get onto the Grimm for me to track it.

Hundreds of limbs around me, and I felt each one’s position and movement.

Gunfire, snarls, and steel singing in the wind were the only sounds.

“Weiss, Boarbatusk from behind!” I called out as Weiss finished off a small Ursa.

She turned and flung up an emblem just in time for the Grimm to crash into it, but I was sure she would have dodged the blow without my warning anyway.

“Now switch!” I sprinted toward the Boarbatusk as she glided across the grass like a figure skater, stabbing into the flailing Ursa as I gutted the boar Grimm. 

“Blake, on your right.” Blake teleported behind the Beowolf about to bite her, leaving an afterimage—Oni Lee flashed in my mind—with what I guessed was her Semblance.

I lunged and cut at the side of the Grimm where Blake had just been as it spun to face her. It staggered, letting Blake slice at its back. 

It collapsed between us. We nodded to each other, then moved on to our next target.

I hissed in frustration. I was ‘helping’, but everything I did was superfluous. I hadn’t saved anyone, or turned the tide of the battle, or defeated a deadly Grimm with any of my warnings or assistance. At best, I had saved the others the few seconds they would have needed to do the job themselves.

Compared to the others, excluding Jaune, I was useless. A convenience to have rather than someone who actually made a difference. They were cutting through the Grimm, one after another, fire to kindling. Each at least tripling the amount of Grimm I had killed. 

_ There has to be  _ something _ I can do! _

The Nevermore came to a stop above the temple, winding back its wings in an almost exaggerated motion, then flapped them forward furiously. 

Feathers flew from its wings, raining down like spears at the temple.

One clipped the mohawked boy as he tried to dodge, sending him spinning, before he lodged a dagger into the floor to stop from falling off.

The two boys were running out of room and luck quickly, there was no sign of Ozpin or Goodwitch interfering, and at best, I was assisting in kills the others could have handled on their own instead of helping in a meaningful way.

So, I moved to deal with the Nevermore.

The smaller Grimm had been mostly dealt with anyway. 

Everyone had taken hits, except for Pyrrha and me—Pyrrha through skill, me by staying away from the bigger Grimm and using distractions to avoid notice. Jaune had been struck the most, but his Aura hadn’t broken. I could see it gleam around him just as strongly as before.

They would be fine.

The Nevermore released a brutal, shrill cry as it rose higher and higher, abandoning its driveby charges. 

When it was high enough, the wings folded in, and it nosedived down to gain speed.

This time, it was going to break the entire temple with one charge.

I had to send it off course, divert it somehow. 

No bullets left. Not enough bugs on it to do anything, and the wind was too strong for them to climb along the bone mask and blind it.

Hadn’t the professors noticed that the two boys were about to die? Or did they expect to save them after the boys were smashed into the oblivion of the gorge? 

I was already at the cliff edge while everyone else was too far away to help.

The Nevermore swooped down and spread its wings for a head-on collision with the base of the temple. The boys fired away, but the Grimm wasn’t fazed.

I sprinted alongside the cliff ahead of the Nevermore, flipped my sword into a reversed grip, then I jumped.

The howl of the ravine whistled around me but was deafened by my hammering heart.

I stabbed downward with as much Aura as I could maintain, right as the shadow wings swept under me.

The blade dug firmly into the wing, the Nevermore’s momentum adding to the blow’s force.

My arm burned from the strain, but Aura stopped it from being ripped off.

The Nevermore shrieked, veering to the side as its wing instinctively curled from pain. The temple was saved.

My plan had been to jump back onto the plain or the cliffside. The Nevermore had been gliding rather than flapping its wings, staying above the treetops of the forest. Naturally, it decided to change habits  _ after _ I was on it.

The Nevermore dove lower, beneath the mist, and furiously pumped its wings to remove the needling pain of my sword.

The world was a rush of movement, wind and my own pained grunts filled my ears.

I was bludgeoned helplessly against its wing as I clung to my blade for dear life.

The irony was that every time it beat its wings, my sword dug a little deeper into the wing. 

Up and down, I felt my body slam into the feathered wing, like a rollercoaster where you got battered into a wall with every twist and turn. Each slam knocked my breath and senses away, along with a piece of my Aura.

The cloudy gray sensation of support dipped and faded. I was running out fast.

The Nevermore rose above the trees once again and made a sloppy turn back toward the temple. Its wings stretched out into a flat glide, putting me on the far side of the canyon from the others. My blade was more than a quarter through its wing, yet the creature still managed to fly.

My bugs scattered into the grass as the last two Grimm were finished. Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha were already jumping between the stone pillars to the temple.

The front of my body felt like a massive bruise, but I forced my feet under me in preparation to jump off.

Then, the Nevermore tilted so its back was almost flat along the cliff.

My eyes bulged as I saw the sharp rock protrusion the Grimm was going to try and splatter me against.

_ This feathered asshole. _

I tried to twist the blade, but it wouldn’t budge against the Grimm’s flesh.

Nowhere to jump and I’d lost my footing. Bugs weren’t in any position to do anything. Aura too low to take the hit—didn’t think I could take it if my Aura was full anyway.

Ruby called out something that the wind swept away. I didn’t have enough bugs near her to hear.

The others stood at the cliff edge and fired at the Nevermore’s exposed stomach. The impacts buffeted the Nevermore and forced it towards the cliff.

The tip of the wing clipped the rockface, catching purchase and tearing the cut I had made until the wing split.

I was flung through the air, the Nevermore tumbling beside me.

My bugs were the only reason I didn’t lose track of where I was as I spun wildly in freefall.

I desperately stabbed into the rock, and the blade snapped with a clean twang, along with my hopes.

Cursing myself as the others cried out, I focused my Aura into the blade and tried again.

The broken blade skittered and halted my descent with a jarring lurch. My arm screamed in strain. It stung, but it hadn’t snapped or separated from the shoulder. Aura really changed what was possible. 

I hung off the cliff, slightly below the temple floor’s level.

The Nevermore vanished into the gorge and out of my power’s range. An echoing wail was all that it left.

“Taylor! Are you okay!?” Ruby’s worried voice bounced along the canyon walls.

“I’m alive,” I yelled back.

Ruby looked like she was about to say something else, but Nora pushed her out of the way.

“That was AWESOME!” Nora beamed, arms wide to the sky. “You’re a Nevermore wrangler!”

“Please get me down. I can’t hang here for much—” A bronze streak like a missile slammed into the cliffside an inch under my feet. “Gah! A little warning next time?”

“Sorry!” Pyrrha yelled. 

I lowered myself onto the shield lightly, testing its weight. It held firm, and I relaxed slightly. 

“We’ll come over to you!” 

“It’s fine, start climbing. I’ll join you after I rest a bit.” No point in them shuffling over to me if we were just going to have to go up the cliff anyway.

Mohawk and gray-blue hair hopped along the pillars first, eager to be off the temple, though it was more like another stone pillar based on what was left of it.

They reached a stone plateau that the temple had once bridged toward, before they started scaling the cliff. No displays of gratitude apparently.

I rolled my shoulder and glanced up to plan my route.

_ Doing this with one hand is going to suck. _

My sword was now short enough to use as a climbing knife, at least. I hadn’t even had it for two days before breaking it. 

Practice with Aura would get me into the habit of using it in my weapons, but I should have remembered and been more conscious of my Aura. My amateur mistake almost got me killed.

Also, I had literally thrown myself into a situation where I needed to grab onto something to live, only remembering my lack of an arm after I was already on the monster.

“You sure you don’t need a hand?” Yang shouted, making herself chuckle.

“Yang!” Ruby admonished.

“Actually, I will take you up on that offer.” One slip and I would fall if I didn’t.

“We’ll find a way over to you!” Jaune yelled as he made another hesitant jump to the plateau, joining everyone there.

_ Great, I guess I’ll just wait here and— _

I froze.

My bugs on the Nevermore had come back into range.

“Oh shit!” I ripped my blade from the rock. “It’s not dead!”

The dark outline of the Nevermore appeared through the fog.

Its talons carved into the cliff with every step, almost running up the wall. Black smog billowed out from its stump of a wing, crimson eyes locked onto me.

“I’m almost out of Dust.” 

“Two more shots left.”

“I’m close to empty.” 

The Nevermore stopped and pivoted its upper body, wing lashing out in a wide arc.

Large feathers speared around me, one clanging Pyrrha’s shield, forcing me to stab into the rock again to avoid falling off. The shield now wobbled slightly with my weight, so I reverted to holding myself up with my broken sword.

“Could one of us swing over there?” Jaune asked hurriedly. Their voices almost lost in the echo.

The plateau was around forty feet to my left but I had no way to get over there. Weiss could glide along the air with her glyphs, but there wasn’t anywhere for her to land.

“Wait! I have an idea!” Ruby almost bounced with her own inspiration.

“This better be good, we have to get to Taylor now. Bullets aren’t hurting this thing. We don’t have time for _ — _ ” Weiss started.

“No! This will help!” 

They spoke quickly enough that I couldn’t make out their words, and I had already pulled my bugs away to swarm the Nevermore.

One feather that had almost skewered me was about hip height. I used a foot to test it, and found it firmly planted into the wall.

I pulled out my knife, praying that the shield would hold, before grabbing the feather and lowering myself down to two other feathers below.

With my new footholds, I wiggled the shield out and shoved my maimed arm into the straps. It was a tight fit, but it worked.

I reached down and grabbed the knife in my boot, placing it between my teeth.

My back was against the wall, both figuratively and literally, with only a broken weapon, a tiny knife, and a shield on half an arm.

It was all I had.

The echoes of the crunching rock resounded louder and louder as the Nevermore renewed its charge, red light bleeding from the paths its eyes made.

My only chance was to dodge its beak and stab into it again for another ride. I didn’t have the footing to avoid continuous attacks. 

The Nevermore broke through the mist.

Sixty feet.

The others were arranging themselves in a weird way.

Fifty feet.

I didn’t have enough bugs on them to see what they were doing, and the alcove of the plateau hid them from sight.

Thirty feet.

The cliff shook with each crunch of stone under its talons.

With a gunshot and the sound of steel on stone, Blake’s weapon lodged into the cliff halfway between me and the others, a black ribbon tied to it.

I almost slipped when I followed the piece of fabric back to them.

They were peeking around the edge of the alcove, enough to show me that they were doing something ridiculous and that I was probably going to die.

Blake held the other end of the ribbon with both hands, her legs wrapped around Yang’s waist to hold the blonde girl up. Ruby was behind Blake while sitting on Yang’s backside, her red scythe aiming backward. They were being held up off the floor by a black sigil that looked like a snowflake. Blake’s face scrunched in strain from holding everyone.

Nora was behind them, hammer ready. Jaune held his shield like a target, with Yang’s legs bent on it like a ramp.

“Blast off!” Ruby shouted.

Nora squealed in excitement as she hammered Jaune’s shield, right as Weiss’s sigils fired off, launching the three girls forward at a blistering speed.

They swung out into the canyon before the ribbon went taut. I could make out Blake’s teeth clenching as she gripped as hard as she could.

Ruby fired behind her for more speed, rose petals outlined their wide arc. Yang burst into Aura fueled flames, her grinning beamed in savage glory.

They were a red, black, and yellow wrecking ball.

I watched the spectacle, trying to conjure up the logic behind what they were doing. Nothing came.

Ten feet.

The Nevermore lurched back and lunged, its body encompassing my entire view.

It was less than a foot away when Yang’s fist collided with it with all the force of a falling meteor.

The stone broke under the Nevermore, cratering around it.

Yang peeled her fist back with a sickening crunch from the Grimm’s caved chest.

The whole forest shook from the blow, and I was forced to grab the feather by my head.

The girls cheered in victory as the Grimm’s body started to peel off the wall.

Their delight melted to dread as the Nevermore let out a raspy squawk and stopped itself from falling by digging its talons into the wall. 

The girls swung away, the momentum of their swing pulling them back.

I threw my broken sword into the open beak of the Grimm, cutting off its hoarse screeches.

Then, I pushed off the cliff and rocketed toward the Nevermore. 

Pyrrha’s shield was a battering ram as I slammed into the Grimm. The force knocked the Grimm back, sending it teetering as it fought against gravity.

I spat out the dagger in my mouth, grabbed it out of the air, and rained down quick blows.

It struggled weakly against the assault, enough that I wasn’t thrown off despite my lack of handholds, then began to fall as its talons lost the strength to hold it up.

“Taylor!” Ruby yelled.

The red-hooded girl was running along the wall back toward me, still holding onto Yang and Blake.

I leapt from the Grimm as it tumbled in a heap of smog into the darkness below, and Yang grabbed onto my wrist.

Blake’s face scrunched from the extra strain as we swung back. 

At the zenith of our swing, Blake let go, and we fell in the waiting arms of Nora and Pyrrha, but ended up knocking them over into a pile of limbs.

Something inside me broke, and my Aura fractured along my skin, leaving me sore and tired, but it didn’t matter.

We untangled enough to lay down and groan, stewing in exhaustion as the adrenaline faded.

Yang was the first one to start laughing, a small chuckle that slowly built.

Ruby was the next to join her.

I grinned as everyone erupted into hearty laughter, happy to be alive. Flabbergasted that whatever just happened worked.

We soaked in the moment. We had survived.

Next, we needed to see if we had passed the initiation.

**Chapter 10 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to 6thfloormadness, Juff, Breakingamber, Majigah, Chris C, and Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence for cleaning this up and making it prettier to read. My shrine to you four will be glorious and my sacrifices to you bloody.


	11. Put In Place

* * *

_Taylor_

Everyone stood, weary but smiling, as they took turns handing Ozpin their relics.

I tossed the red queen piece to Ozpin. He gave no reaction beyond a nod.

We made our way back to Beacon, exhaustion settling in. They would announce if we had passed the initiation later when they placed everyone else in teams.

All the other students had made their way back already; we had been the last ones to finish. I hoped that didn’t affect our standing.

The group parted, to change, shower, or decompress.

My fights with the Grimm had been humbling. For all my training, I doubted I matched the martial skill of any of the other students, the constant exception being Jaune.

I lagged behind in Aura usage, Dust in general, and equipment.

All my movements were exaggerated or filled with wasted motions since I still hadn’t adjusted to Aura-enhanced speed. Not to mention how the others already knew and had largely incorporated their Semblances and their complex weaponry into their fighting styles.

Ruby’s weapon was perfect to hook around an enemy after getting up close with her Semblance. Weiss’s glyphs were the most versatile; Mover, Blaster, Shaker, and possibly Trump as well. Blake’s clone trick that shot her in a direction, leaving a clone in her place, was perfect for mobility and evasion. I wasn’t sure of Yang’s, beyond the eye color change and her Aura moving like fire. Probably enhanced strength of some kind.

I hadn’t even seen Pyrrha’s, Nora’s, or Ren’s.

Ignorance and lack of preparation had been my greatest obstacle since arriving on Remnant. 

Thankfully, I could take my time to learn things. The unique relic meant I could be a lone agent, save some time from dealing with teammates, and catch up at my own pace.

I arrived in the locker room and restocked the ammo for my gun. Then, I headed back to the Emerald Forest.

The gun on my hip was more for caution instead of something I planned to use. My firepower had been laughable compared to the others. 

My melee weapon had broken, and my ranged weapon hadn’t been near powerful enough to battle the Grimm. Not to mention all the possibilities that foldable frame weapons offered.

Though, the amount of time one would take to learn how to adequately use…

I paused, taking the moment to stretch out sore muscles.

Huntress training was a four-year enrollment. I had the time to learn, but I would be starting from scratch, putting me even further behind everyone else.

The entire economy of battle was different when Aura was involved. Non-lethal or glancing hits still chipped away at Aura levels. Opponents could attack through potentially lethal hits because their Aura protected them.

With Grimm, they were either too large or resilient for daggers to be as effective as a sword, simply because one sunk deeper into a giant Grimm than the other. It was why smaller weapons needed Dust, for the extra killing power. I hadn’t even thought about how to add Dust into my arsenal.

_I’m already so far behind..._

There was also the issue of money. Beacon’s example course load was full time, and I wasn’t even sure I was allowed to work a job if I passed the initiation.

Even if I managed a job on top of studying, training, and learning about life on Remnant; how long would it take for me to earn enough for Dust, new equipment, and possibly a robotic limb?

There was money in the criminal world, and no matter how peaceful society was, there was crime. Stealing gang money, if I could somehow find them, would be faster...

No. I didn’t want to jump into vigilantism. That was the first step on a downward slope that would slide me right back to where I was—who I was trying not to be anymore.

I sighed and shook my head. None of that mattered if I didn’t get into Beacon first.

Farther down the gorge from where we fought the Nevermore was a winding path that led back down into the forest. A much nicer route than trying to climb with one arm again. 

I focused on my bugs and walked into the forest.

Five blocks still. There hadn’t been a change for my power’s range, even through the chaos of combat and everything. 

I wasn’t sure what that meant, or if something had happened to my Passenger.

Meditation, hypnosis, or talking had never worked before, but something still needed to be said.

I stopped, making sure I was far away from any of Ozpin’s cameras.

“Passenger…” I stilled all my bugs completely, an attempt to get my power’s attention. “I wanted to… thank you. I wish there had been another way, but we still did it. I hope you’re okay after everything”—our ‘fusion’—“but I’m glad you’re back... I don’t know what I’d do with myself without you.” The last confession hit deeper than I expected.

As expected, there wasn’t any sign of an answer, but I didn’t regret taking the time to say it.

I found my target deeper in. More of those spiders specialized in web-spinning. Regardless of Aura, I wanted the extra armor of spider silk, and most of the students I had seen needed some armor as well.

The spider came to me so I wouldn’t have to deal with the Ursa that lumbered between the two of us. 

I continued my hunt, gathering what bugs I could and stashing them under my armor for transport back to Beacon.

_Time to start breeding my swarm._

* * *

_Ozpin_

The chess pieces formed neat groups on my desk, all but one. The red queen piece stood alone, away from every group.

I took another sip from my mug. Chocolate and warmth were a comfort while I chastised myself.

Team placements had become an easier matter over time. I had known so many different people throughout history, I thought myself skilled in understanding others and how they would work together. The gears didn’t always fit together perfectly, but they had always turned. 

I was now paying for my arrogance.

The quest for the extra relic confirmed more of my understanding of Taylor Hebert, but her proficiency in coordinating others had blindsided me.

She had noted everyone’s fighting style, organized them, then in a large battle, she had gauged when and how to support the other students as needed, all despite having just met them.

Experience guided her tactics and moves; I had only theories as to where she’d gotten it. 

She would be proficient as a team leader, but there was apparently little for her to learn in terms of military planning. 

I had called Peter about his thoughts on the matter. From what he had seen during the initiation, he claimed that Taylor had shown the mindset and thought processes that three years of military tactics classes were supposed to ingrain. 

Placing Taylor in a leadership position would just deprive another student the chance to develop such qualities.

Her dubious history and memory also made me hesitant to make a decision.

I rearranged the pieces once again and placed the red queen piece beside the black queen pieces.

Team HARRT (Heart), perhaps? I smiled; making up team names was part of the fun. Alice wasn’t a leader, more of a subtle guide, while Reina was too impulsive and harsh. Though, the team didn’t need a wrangler. They were incredibly different, yet able to bring out new things in each other.

Taylor would be wasted on the team. Their skills were unique but not very powerful or complementary. The same was true with what drove them. With Taylor, they would be effective, but they wouldn’t be _instrumental._

My fingers traced the screen of my Scroll until it brought up the desired scene from the initiation.

Miss Hebert darted around Grimm and ally alike, setting up other Grimm to be finished off or killing Grimm about to attack another student, all the while avoiding the majority of the Grimm’s focus.

The level of battlefield awareness was astonishing. She stayed close to Jaune Arc until others could take her place in protecting the less experienced fighter. Using Grimm against one another.

It looked almost rehearsed, like she knew what the Grimm were doing and reacting before they could act. Her Semblance must be some sort of area perception after all, a coveted ability for battlefield tactics of any kind.

I frowned at the next part, where Miss Hebert broke away from the rest of the group to attack the Nevermore. She undoubtedly saved both Russel and Sky from being eliminated from the initiation. 

Sadly, I did not think the two boys showed any gratitude for the act. Glynda had been ready to jump in just as Taylor made her move.

The problem with the act was that she didn’t tell her fellow students or ask for assistance. It showed an instinctual preference toward working alone. Or a much more dangerous belief that the others couldn’t be _trusted_ to do the job.

I shifted the red queen piece once again, this time to the pair of black bishop pieces.

The boys were quite brutish and selfish. I knew the type; they would be problems in the beginning, but they would also fail because of it. From their failure, they would blossom into promising Huntsmen. 

Taylor would be another method of reforming them. From her interaction with Miss Schnee and her general demeanor, I had little doubt Taylor would stand for any belligerence the boys might try to engage in. 

Team TDRCS (Thunderclouds)? They would resent her until they realized that they were becoming true warriors. I did think they would ultimately limit Taylor though. It would take years for them to follow her without hesitation or resentment. Not having her be team leader only increased the timeframe. Those years would just be time wasted with Taylor fighting with the boys to cooperate. Years we might not have. 

I set the bishops aside.

Next, the white rook pieces—most likely the best matchup. Jaune had shown promise in being a leader, and I knew he could grow into one, despite his lack of Huntsmen education thus far. Those of the Arc family had always been as such. Having Taylor on the team would give him someone to push him to grow. However, it would be best if Jaune found that strength on his own, instead of relying on others for it.

Perhaps the leadership position would work better for Taylor... Jaune would still grow into the emotional leader of the team; he had the makings of someone to uplift others after all. 

However, while Taylor was effective, she shared so little about herself—her history or her emotions. I was worried about her building a sense of companionship within the team.

Though, Taylor would make the best use of them. Their potential and synergy would be frightening under her guide. Team AVLNH (Avalanche) with Jaune as the leader or HARPN (Harpoon) with Taylor as the leader. 

Finally, I glanced over at the white knight pieces, the biggest risk.

Ruby’s potential to use her silver eyes was too promising to undermine by placing her anywhere besides team leader. She showed great aptitude for the position, which was only natural considering her parentage. As leader, she would have the most pressure to grow as both a person and Huntress, pushing her to activate the power hidden within those eyes. A power the world _needed_.

Taylor was too much of an unknown, and her allegiances were, as of yet, unclear.

Blake’s past could be used as something for the team to overcome and grow together, as well as hopefully provide some form of closure to the former White Fang member. I was sure that they could work through it. 

Weiss’s attitude and drive would help incite Ruby’s ability to bring those around her together, while also showing the heiress that there were more valuable things than skill and achievement. 

Yang would be Ruby’s support and strength, someone who could always bring the young girl back on her path if she should lose her way. Meanwhile, Ruby would be Yang’s center, a reminder of what a Huntress should and could be. They were each other’s lighthouses. 

It was a team that was almost designed to elevate one another through and beyond their troubles to become Huntresses. Fate, it seemed, had brought those four together. They would become a team that could help decide Remnant’s destiny. At least, I hoped as much.

In contrast, Taylor was a mystery. Goal-oriented and determined, but closed off, her history unknown. I was sure that she had remembered more than she was telling. I had prompted her to use amnesia as an excuse in hopes of her choosing to open up, or that I’d be able to find out more about her on my own, but both seemed unlikely. 

I didn’t want to push the issue. Not yet anyway. She was too skilled to be an unknown, too experienced to have appeared from nowhere. Whoever she was, it could hinder Ruby and the rest of her team.

This would have been a lot easier if Taylor was less versatile and capable than she had shown she was.

I nodded to myself and placed the red queen back with the rook pieces.

My scroll flashed an alert—‘Incoming Call from: Blossom Gleason’—and I answered.

The screen flared to life with the picture of Blossom’s white office. She wore the same bright pink shirt under her lab coat as yesterday, small bags hanging like weights under her eyes. Had she not stopped working since we’d last talked?

“Ah good. I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Oz.” Blossom gave a polite smile, but her exhaustion seeped through.

“Of course not, Blossom, I was the one who asked for your help. Though, I didn’t mean for you to spend all night on it.”

“Is it that obvious?” Her head slumped with a sigh, curly pink hair shifting with the movement and falling in front of Blossom’s small spectacles. She spent a moment trying to blow the strands back in place, to no avail. “I just lost track of time trying to find out what I could about this thing you had me looking at.”

“Thing?” My eyebrow raised at her choice of diction.

“Yup. No clue on what this thing is or how it works and the rest of my team won’t let me call it the ‘Super-Miracle-Backpack!’, so we’re calling it ‘thing’ until I can come up with something better.” The energy in her words surged when she said the name then dipped back down. “I don’t even know how it would be possible to make something like this. I couldn’t find any place where the Dust to power it could go. All the circuitry in this thing is _so_ tiny. And there’s so much in it too. Not a single bit of wasted space, everything looks to flow so nicely. Almost impossibly so. Not even Atlas stuff is this cleanly designed. I took copies of the layout and everything to base future blueprints on, that’s how advanced this thing was made. I don’t even know what it does and I’m learning from it. Where did you say you got this thing again?”

“It’s previous owner left it behind after a hospital stint.” Possibly because it was held in another part of the building. “I thought it would be something worth looking into, but I didn’t anticipate its intricacy.”

“Would it be possible to get in contact with the previous owner then? I would love to talk shop with them. They would probably take my job but at least I’d learn a lot.”

“Unfortunately, the previous owner is… indisposed for the foreseeable future. We won’t have a way to contact them for some time. Is the device truly that impressive?”

Blossom reached off-screen and brought forth the item of discussion, the hi-tech backpack’s metal shell having been removed to show labyrinthian circuitry within.

“From what I can tell, the S.M.B., pending a cooler name, was made to control whatever used to extrude from these openings.” She moved the backpack around to show sections along the sides and back that might have once housed some form of extremity but were now empty except one, which held a metal cylinder with a melted end.

“Is there no way to determine what that was used for or what it ended in?” I asked.

“None, the insides are melted halfway through, along with any clues for what it did.” More questions, all leading to dead-ends. “There are also these,” she said holding up an odd white metal disc of about an inch in thickness. “There are four of them and I don’t know what they do. No one here does. I haven’t even been able to look at half of it yet because of how complex it is. I haven’t been able to put some of it back together because I literally don’t know how it all fit. It’s like there’s more stuff inside it than should be possible. The interface is totaled, no chance of recovery. I’m sorry, Oz, this thing is as magnificently engineered as it is incomprehensible.” 

A device beyond what Vale’s brightest could understand? Not even an inkling? Yet there had been no attempt to retrieve it or keep it out of our scientist’s hands. Who would keep such advanced technology secret if they were willing to let it be discovered without a fight?

“I might have to invent other devices just to properly examine it because of how minuscule some of the parts are,” Blossom continued. “Basically, please hurry up and get whatever wizard magicked this thing into existence so I can give them a super doctorate in mechanical engineering... and probably a few others.” Blossom had always had an unwavering determination for her work and despite her peppy remarks, I could feel the defeated air about her.

“That is… as surprising as it is concerning, Blossom. Thank you for everything. Again, it isn’t a rush by any means, so you can examine it at your own leisure. I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”

“Of course, thank you. The only reason I stayed to work on it was because of how frustrating it was not being able to parse anything substantial about it.” She grated the words out like it hurt to say them. “I’ll get back to you if I find out anything else but this might be something to send to Atlas if you really want to know about it. They have the best facilities there to look into this backpack-thing.”

“Take care, Blossom.”

“You too, Ozpinnnnnn,” Blossom drew out my name as I watched the miracle of inspiration shine to life within her, and she shot up from her seat. “The Haversack of Infinite Possibility! H.I.P.! It’s genius! I’m trademarking it!”

I ended the call as Blossom ran off back into the depths of her lab off-screen, leaving me alone with my thoughts. 

Taylor appeared in the middle of the city, no cameras catching her entry. Not entirely implausible considering the girl’s apparent ability to sense the environment around her. She could have avoided the cameras if she wanted. 

Then, she had a hostile encounter where she was shot from behind. Meaning possible ties to a dangerous group. She was in possession of this strange backpack that she hadn’t asked about, or had chosen to leave behind. Was it because she had forgotten about it, because it was functionally useless, or because she didn’t want to have a connection to it?

Her Scroll’s search history showed her researching the basic history of Remnant. It was as though she had forgotten all the general things about the world but still remembered abstract things like the rules of chess.

This latest development did not at all help in my decision for what team she should be on.

It seemed that Taylor had ties to a group or individual who built a device so intricate that the best engineering team in Vale had to resign themselves to give it up to Atlas. Or at least she _used_ to have such ties; whether she knew of them now was entirely unknown.

She was much too guarded to give up the information at the moment. Her searches of Beacon and my own practices and history were enough to see that she was paranoid regarding our interests in her, and my own interactions only fortified my belief that she wouldn’t reveal anything she didn’t want to.

Thus, I needed her to open up.

Whatever group she was connected with could be a powerful ally, or a devastating enemy.

A new player on the board.

The elevator doors opened up and Glynda stepped in. 

“Have you finished the team placements? We need to create the graphics for the presentation.” She slid a folder on my desk, the final checks for the ceremony.

“Not quite.” I waved to the pieces on the desk, the red queen isolated from the rest.

“Miss Hebert?”

“Her placement has been… difficult.”

She tilted her head slightly in thought, before returning to her ramrod-straight posture. “I would suggest placing her with Jaune Arc’s team.” 

“Your reasoning?”

“Someone to train with. They are both below the level of the other students in combat, Jaune much more so, and he doesn’t have her tactical mind to make up for it.”

That could work. A way to get Taylor to open up, two underdogs trying to catch up. 

I smiled. Glynda was a stern arrow leading straight to the heart of the issue; it was why I treasured her advice.

“Thank you, Glynda, I happen to agree.” She nodded in return, all business.

The red piece was moved beside the white rook pieces, and Team HARPN was born.

“I will finish—” The chime of the elevator opening cut her off, and Taylor Hebert walked in. Serendipitous timing, to be sure.

“Miss Hebert, should you not be getting ready for the ceremony?” Glynda asked, even though there was an hour before the event started.

“I needed to confirm something with Professor Ozpin,” Taylor stated, her voice a hairbreadth shy of monotone, the barest sliver of iron peeking through.

“It is no trouble, Glynda. I can spare some time.” 

“I will see you there, then.” Glynda gave me another nod before heading into the elevator. 

“What may I help you with, Miss Hebert?” I gestured to the chair in front of my desk.

She didn’t look around the room, not to investigate or admire. She went directly for the chair and sat down. “I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t going to be on a team.” Her tone was controlled, almost inhumanly so. 

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“That was why I got the unique relic.”

“The relic was so that the leftover student without a partner could pass the exam.”

She paused, the only indication she was frustrated. “If I must be on a team”—her words were clipped but level—“then I want to make sure that I’m not in the leader position.”

 _Interesting._ “May I ask why?”

“I wouldn’t be a good leader.” Her tone dipped, not on ‘leader’, but on ‘good’. She knew she could lead, but where was the hesitation then?

“You seem unsure.” She frowned, if the barest tug on her lips counted. Taylor was one of the least reactive people I’d ever seen. That made her very hard to read, which spoke volumes, none of them good. “What is the problem, Taylor?”

“I… I’m not confident that I…” If anything, her expression steeled into a rigid mask, her words the only hint that she spoke from a place of emotion, more than before. She was forcing herself to be honest but hesitating. Trust issues? Yes, but not the root of the issue; she _was_ trying.

“You’re afraid.” She tensed, then shifted slightly in preparation to flee—no, to lunge. 

“I am.” The pieces fell into place, only to show that the puzzle was far from done. I knew the look that flashed in her eyes before it was quickly hidden away, it was the same one I saw when I looked in the mirror. Guilt.

“Of others?” I had suspected a history of abuse or bullying before, though it was a guess more than anything. Perhaps she had remembered more.

“No.” A single word, yet a heavy meaning.

“I understand.” The burden of leadership, guilt from failure, the need to persist despite the pain. She did have some memories, just not good ones. “You will not be placed in a leadership role.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“That does present a problem though. You have the aptitude”—as well as the experience, but that was a story for later, evidently—“for strategy and tactics, one that could easily fill a leadership role.”

“You don’t want to waste the skill,” she said calmly.

I almost reeled from the insinuation. “No, Taylor, I don’t want _you_ to waste your talent.” 

A few blinks were her only sign of surprise. “Okay.”

“We’ll go over your role then.”

The next twenty minutes was a discussion that shifted into a battle of concessions. There was no shouting or arguments, but my every proposition was met with a dozen clarifications that subtly tried to chip away at the oversight over her. 

She needed to be the one to set her own schedules and rules. 

Finally, we had a base outline that she agreed on, and she left for the ceremony. 

The elevator doors closed, and I was left to take another sip that emptied the mug, along with another chastisement. 

_Arrogant._

I had misread the young girl. 

Her story was worse than I had thought. A tale that I needed to know.

An idea formed, a way that may even negate some of the risks I had seen. 

I typed a message to Miss Rose, asking for a chance to talk after the ceremony. 

_One can not gain anything without risking something, and I don’t have any trouble placing my bets on you._

* * *

_Taylor_

We waited in a side hall of the auditorium, Ozpin’s voice dull through the wall as he spoke.

Ruby whispered to Weiss ahead of me. “Ohhh I’m so nervous. How are the teams going to go? What if—”

She was cut off by Weiss’s finger. “You’re my partner, so I’m sure we’ll be fine, okay?”

Her reassurance was both thoughtful and arrogant; an... interesting combination, but it worked to calm Ruby’s anxiety.

Goodwitch gestured for us to shuffle forward, ready to head out at any moment.

“I will point out those who are going up. Go directly to stand in front of Professor Ozpin, then exit off the opposite side of the stage behind him,” Glynda stated and pointed to the first four students to go, the group I had passed near the relics.

They walked through the door and the crowd’s murmuring filled the hall, along with Ozpin’s voice.

“Alice Roimata, Chesh Aronia, Reina Brandr, Mirana Tahti. You four retrieved the black queen pieces. From now on, you will work together as Team RABT (Rabbit). Led by, Alice Roimata.”

A round of cheers filtered through the walls.

Glynda then pointed to the four boys, the two pairs that had chosen not to help us against the Deathstalker, including the two we had saved from the Nevermore.

“Oh god, she’s pointing to the people who are gonna be on teams together.” Ruby panicked, her foot nervously bounced faster than should be possible as rose petals seemed to peel from the red of her hood.

“It’s fine, look who’s left. We’ll be fine,” Weiss said, obviously wanting Ruby to keep quiet under Glynda’s gaze.

Glynda did another round of pointing and the rest of us moved to the mouth of the hallway, the sound of the audience and Ozpin much clearer now.

“Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper). Led by, Jaune Arc!” Ozpin announced to the school.

That was surprising, to say the least. While Jaune had shown some aptitude for strategy, he himself was… lacking in fighting abilities. It was almost like he had trained in fighting with Aura as little as I had. I was unsure of the logic behind his placement. 

Glynda gestured for me to wait at the entrance, the door open so that I could watch.

“Next, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From today onwards, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby). Led by, Ruby Rose.”

The roar of the crowd covered the sound of Yang crushing Ruby in a hug. Weiss looked disheartened at best, trying to hide some inner conflict. Blake wore her usual blasé attitude.

“Finally, I would also like to call out Taylor Hebert, a last-minute participant in the initiation who, on top of passing, was able to solve the temple’s puzzle and retrieve the red queen piece.”

I walked out, and the eyes of hundreds of students followed me.

Above the stage were two large screens displaying the pictures of Team RWBY, but they slid off the side as my picture came in.

I joined Ozpin beside the stage.

“Miss Hebert showed a unique capability during this initiation, a proficiency in tactical thinking and coordination that we would have expected in our third or fourth years. Thus, we have decided to place her as a liaison amongst the teams, having her assist her fellow teams in missions when needed.”

The crowd clapped and cheered. All I felt was anxiety.

This was my first step in deciding how I would live my life, and it started with me being responsible for helping others learn to lead—a position I didn’t trust myself with, but now had to teach others.

Four in, hold for seven, out for eight.

I wasn’t sure if this was the right path, but I needed to try.

**Chapter 11 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hearts to Juff, Breakingamber, Sigravig, Max J, Chris C, Majigah, Joshua C, and Demifailure (As well as another person who wishes not to be named but still deserves many hugs) for catching my crap. 
> 
> Blossom Gleason is based on famous mechanical engineer, Kate Gleason, but pink.
> 
> The flight pack was in another part of the hospital, in a sealed container. It was broken, and the staff didn’t know if there was volatile Dust inside or not, so it was locked up for safety. It is very different from the Dust powered technology of Remnant, especially since it’s Tinkertech vs Dust tech. 


	12. Purpose

* * *

_ Taylor _

_ This is it, I’m committed. _

A final round of cheers was deafened by my heart hammering in my chest. 

Uncertainty was a worm that squirmed and writhed whenever I tried to reassure myself that I was making the right choice—that this had to be a step in the right direction.

I walked stiffly off the stage, eyes forward but focused on nothing. 

Ozpin gave his final words for the ceremony, the lights came on, and the students were herded out of the room.

I leaned against a wall, swallowing back the memories of every mistake I could repeat. Beacon was my chance to rebuild myself into something else, yet it felt like I was starting with all the same pieces.

_ No. This was different, it had to be.  _

I was supposed to help mold the people who would lead the teams that would fight the Grimm and save people, despite all my experience being in making the wrong decisions—or at least, not the good one.

Then again, comparatively, I couldn’t possibly screw up any worse than I already had before.

A sad chuckle died before it reached my lips.

It was comforting in a sad sense. I couldn’t accomplish anything as terrible because there wasn’t anything so grand to accomplish. 

How fucking awful; I was celebrating the fact that I wouldn’t be honing these kids like knives for the end of the world. Instead, I was just making them into soldiers—

No.  _ Fuck _ no.

I refused to let myself be that again.

Remnant was technically at peace. The countries were competitive but not hostile. No real risk of war was imminent. Most people had a basic standard of living. Maybe it was to curb negative emotions to mitigate Grimm attacks, but regardless, the care was there for a large majority of the world’s population.

The discrimination of the Faunus was a concern. 

Remnant’s practice of discrimination boggled me. No hatred for sexual orientation, skin color, or culture. But if you had dog ears then it was a completely different matter.

People always found a way to not work together. 

Societal change at that level was something that could be helped but not forced. Time would tell.

There was even a universal enemy to ensure that humanity couldn’t truly stay divided. One that I couldn’t be tempted to try and end, using  _ everything _ and  _ everyone _ to do it.

They were people I was tutoring, trying to prepare them so they can live longer and help more people. That was it. They weren’t weapons for when I needed them.

I was going to help them learn to stem the tide of the Grimm a little. Nothing else.

Mankind had been killing the Grimm in droves since the discovery of Dust, yet there wasn’t any progress toward getting rid of them. I could spend my whole life exterminating as many of the red-eyed monsters as I could, and it wouldn’t even factor in the long run. 

There wasn’t anything to accomplish. 

No apocalypse, no secret society, no ultimate threat. 

Huntsmen beat back any problems the Grimm caused, like patches for a dam any time there was a leak. 

There wasn’t anything to trick myself into justifying doing ugly things for the greater good. Hopefully, that meant I wouldn’t push that onto any of the students here.

I was just a kid going to school now, helping her peers get through classes. 

A red streak shot in front of me and petals bombarded me with all the force of a swift breeze.

“Taylor! Guess what?!” Ruby’s excitement was staggering.

“What?” I blew some of the petals stuck to my cheek away.

“We get to be roommates!”

“I thought everyone roomed with their teams.”

“They do, but Ozpin asked if we would be open to having another person, and I, as team leader”—she puffed her chest with pride, no, excited confidence—“said yes.” 

“I guess it would be too much to expect a room to myself.”

“This way!” She pointed and walked ahead, almost marching. I sighed and followed. 

Ruby was full of sunshine. Someone like me would just drag her down with my own darkness—that went for everyone. I would have to take care to keep my distance, not influence them beyond teaching them skills and tricks to help them.

We joined up with Team JNPR and the rest of Team RWBY and moved to the cafeteria for dinner.

Nora dominated the conversation, recounting every moment of her perspective through the initiation with embellishment in every detail, even for the parts we were there for. Ren, Blake, and I didn’t say a word. I was thankful for the opportunity to think things over. 

Plus, I didn’t have to worry over what I might say or do. Being around people, especially those my age, who didn’t know my reputation as a former criminal or Ward felt… more personal than if they did know about me. They would be treating me as just Taylor. I wasn’t sure how to approach it.

I caught snippets of Nora’s boasting through my spiraling thoughts; I had apparently lassoed the Nevermore and tamed it while the others fought off battalions of Grimm. Then Ruby, Blake, and Yang became a wrecking ball and were fired at the Nevermore by everyone else, which sounded hyperbolized but was the only part of the story that was factually correct.

Aura hadn’t dulled the backlash of all the emotional and physical trials I had gone through; or maybe it did, and I would have been feeling much worse without it.

After dinner, we walked to our assigned rooms, which were just across the hall from each other. 

Besides the extra bed wedged into the corner beside a desk, it was exactly like the bedroom I had first stayed in. One window over an empty bookcase separated two pairs of beds, two desks with chairs, and a door to a private bathroom.

With four more people, the space was cramped. More so with everyone’s unpacked luggage that had been brought to the rooms.

I claimed the bed in the corner and left the others to decide whatever spot they wanted.

We just set our bags down without unpacking. The others had brought decorations and multiple bags of possessions to make the dorm homier. All of us were tired, it seemed, though Ruby was brimming with energy.

“Alright, team! I guess the first thing we should do is…” Ruby’s excitement trailed off as she realized she didn’t know what to do, before she perked up again with eagerness, like a bulb had just been lit. “Introductions! I’m Ruby Rose, and I like weapons and cookies!” She nodded to herself as Weiss’s face met her palm. “I was born in Patch and went to Signal before coming here.” She had no idea what she was doing and was trying to make up for it with sheer enthusiasm.

“We know each other’s names already. What is the point of—” Weiss began.

“My name is Yang Xiao Long, and I like having a good time and beating up baddies! I was also born in Patch and went to Signal.” Yang’s energy revived to match Ruby’s.

“Does that mean you two went to class together?” Blake asked.

“Nope, Ruby is my little sis. She got bumped up two years by Ozpin after beating up some criminals.” Yang ruffled Ruby’s hair as she spoke with sisterly pride, the younger girl shying away from the attention. 

Ozpin offered her a spot at Beacon too? Neither of us were the regular age for enrollment. He had bent the rules for both her and me, something I guessed he did frequently with those he thought would be useful or had potential.

“You fought a bunch of criminals? That sounds rather reckless,” Weiss stated.

“They were robbing a Dust shop, and besides, they weren’t that tough. Only the dude in the bowler hat, um, Torchwin or something was a problem. And I would have gotten him if it wasn’t for the lady on his getaway ship,” Ruby said shyly.

“What was that man’s name, Ruby?” I asked.

“I think she means Roman Torchwick. An alert for him played on the news while we were on the airship,” Weiss stated.

Ruby had encountered Torchwick? I’d have to ask her more about him and her apparent battle with his men. If he wasn’t working with White Fang members when Ruby fought with him, then there might be another group he was working with.

“Well, if I must. My name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation.” She curtsied, of all things. “I grew up in Atlas before I decided to come to Beacon for schooling. My goal here is to improve my skills as a Huntress,” Weiss stated in a professional manner. “...and I enjoy singing,” Weiss finished, quieter, almost hesitant.

“My name is Blake Belladonna. I enjoy reading.” Blake said. Her expression sat on the edge of slightly amused and apathetic.

As the others turned to me Ruby’s eyes went wide as she scrambled forward. “Um guys, it’s been a suuuuuuuper long day. We should probably get to bed now. Don’t want to be late for class and everything. Gotta get up early for our first day at school and class.” Ruby pointed, gestured, and waved with her words, emphasizing her abrupt fluster.

“Uh, you okay there, Ruby?” Yang asked, leaning a little away from Ruby’s outburst.

“Yeah, perfectly okay, super good. Just can’t wait for school.” Ruby’s false eagerness was obvious to everyone.

“Really? Cause you kinda skipped—” Yang started.

“Oh, it’s fine. It's just so late so we can get back to that later.” Ruby tried to sneak a couple of nervous glances at me that were caught by everyone staring at her weird efforts.

Why was she… Ah, that’s probably why.

“Ozpin told you?” I didn’t put any malintent in my question, but Ruby still flinched.

“Yeah…” she answered shyly, staring at her feet almost guiltily.

“What are you two talking about?” Weiss questioned with exasperation.

“I got shot in the head a couple of times and lost my memories.” It sounded even more cliché out loud. “Ruby here realized I might be put on the spot in trying to talk about myself.” I tapped the scars on my forehead.

This story was going to sound dumber every time I had to tell it.

“You got shot… in the head…” Weiss repeated, trying to register the information.

Yang already knew and nodded blankly. Blake blinked at my forehead, then settled back into her stoicism, giving no indication of what she thought.

“It’s how Ruby and I met. Well, how she met me. I met her in the ballroom,” I said.

“How?” Weiss struggled to articulate. “I mean, are you... okay?”

“I was in the hospital for some time, and I was… lucky with the placement of the bullets.”

“And you’re… fine now?”

“My injuries are mostly healed.” 

“Huh,” was all Weiss could get out as she sat back down on the bed she had claimed.

“Well, I think it’s pretty awesome surviving something like that, got a sweet scar from it too,” Yang said as she grabbed things from one of her bags. Her focus was on Weiss though, ready to snarl or rest depending on the white-haired girl’s reaction.

“So, you’re staying with us, obviously?” Blake turned to me with one brow slightly raised.

“Ozpin asked if we would be willing to let her room with us, and I said yes,” Ruby stated.

“You should have asked the rest of us for our opinions on that,” Weiss said with an admonishing frown.

“Hey, you got a problem with Taylor?” Yang shot back.

“No, I don’t.” Huh, she sounded completely honest, and there was something else in her tone that I couldn’t place. “But, it was a decision that we should have been involved in.”

“She is right, Ruby. You should have asked everyone else before you agreed,” I said. Weiss wore an air of superiority, Ruby was confused at what she had done wrong, while Yang didn’t appreciate Ruby being upset. “If any of you have an objection, I’m willing to try and find another room.”

“That’s not what I meant—” Weiss looked slightly embarrassed. 

“But-but—” Ruby stammered.

“I don’t think there are any objections,” Blake’s amused voice cut through the others. “Anyway, it’s pretty late. Should we unpack in the morning?”

“Sounds good. I’m tired,” Yang said with a yawn.

We each awkwardly went through our nightly routines, not used to living with each other and trying not to get in anyone’s way.

Sleep found me quickly, but not peacefully.

* * *

Gray laboratory walls towered up, but starlight spotlighted her through the open roof.

She stood twenty feet ahead. A cute tuft of dirty blonde hair with a yellow dress like sunshine. She was so small.

I had only ever seen her crying, but now she had a playful, childish smile. So happy, so innocent. 

She turned away from me. I couldn't see her face, but I could picture the expression.

We stood unmoving for what felt like an eternity, dread building for what I knew was to come.

The gun was heavy on my waist, until it was in my hand, held up and aimed with an absolute sense of inevitability. 

No sounds, no smells, no distractions from the moment. 

Theo was next to me, off to the side. Out of the way enough to be unable to stop me.

He nodded once in understanding. Acceptance.

Because I had only said what I needed to so that he would.

My finger wrapped around the trigger, purposefully, no hesitation.

Aster Anders looked up, gazing at the midnight tapestry.

I shot her twice in the back of the head.

* * *

I launched out of bed, sweat clinging to my skin and nausea bubbling in my stomach. I dashed for the bathroom and retched into the toilet.

Blood pounded in my ears, my breath came in shallow bursts between bouts of vomit and the choked gasps of held-in sobs.

The nightmare was seared behind my eyelids every time I blinked. 

It had been for the best, and I hated myself for believing it, for doing it, for everything. 

I wasn’t sure why those two memories had blurred together. Did I think of them both as mercy killings? 

No. I killed Aster just because there was the possibility that she might be the trigger that ended the world. ‘Saving’ her from Gray Boy was an afterthought.

Contessa shot me to stop Khepri. That was different; I  _ was _ a threat.

Aster was a  _ toddler.  _

But no; I lived, she didn’t.

Brutal. Cold. Unforgivable. 

The fact that Aster wasn’t the apocalypse’s trigger made it cut deeper.

_ God, I’m fucked up. _

Someone held my hair back.

“You okay?” Blake asked.

I spat a bit of bile out. “Wonderful.”

“Obviously.” I was focused on the toilet, but I felt her amused eye-roll.

“Damn, I forgot what it’s like since I’ve had Aura for so long, but you’ve only had it for a bit. I had it before I started getting cramps and everything. Seeing this, I’m glad,” Yang said from the door.

What was… She thought I was on my period? 

I spotted Yang’s hair in the corner of my eye. The radiant yellow almost matched what Aster had worn in the dream. I puked again.

Yang gave a low whistle. “Yeesh.  _ Really _ glad I had mine unlocked young.”

“Lucky you.” My Aura shined and the need to puke subsided, but the disgust lingered. I let out a slow breath. “Thanks, Blake.” 

“No problem.”

I stood up and leaned my head under the nozzle of the sink, gargled some water, then spat it out. “Sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah, it’s all good. Was gonna hit the gym anyway,” Yang said with a flex of her bicep.

I cleaned up, changed, and snuck out of the room. Yang had left by the time I exited the bathroom. Blake was in her bed with a book; we exchanged nods on my way out.

Another jog to the Emerald Forest netted me some Rapier Wasps _ — _ the ‘sword wasps’ I had used to kill an Ursa. A whole hive had been dug into some rocks deeper in the woods.

The queen of the hive was a larger, fatter version of a Rapier Wasp, that had a slight curve to its barbed stinger with a jagged dip before the point. My ticket to starting my own hive.

It had pinged in my senses, a bell chime amongst clinking glass. Every movement and sense was cleaner, but it was an enhanced perspective of how an insect experienced the world, making it more alien.

There was no biological reason that I could sense, beyond the usual differences between a queen and the workers.

More things I didn’t know, more things to worry about.

I had left bugs to sit, awake, at the very edge of my range overnight, and they were in the exact same place when I woke. They would have wandered off if my range had lessened while asleep.

So, my power was stuck at around five blocks. 

I wasn’t sure if it was Aura, or how my Gemma healed, or something to do with my power returning to what it was before Khepri. There was no real way to check, and it wasn’t like I knew what to look for if I got brain scans.

My new wasps swarmed out of my armor and into the dens with the rest of my bugs. Some of them began to chew at rock and dirt.

Regular wasp hives were made from pulped wood stuck together by saliva. Rapier wasps did the same thing but with rock and stone, while their spit hardened like frozen sap. 

It would be the structural support that stopped my underground tunnels from collapsing. I needed more space if I wanted to weave outfits, and this was my way of not having to find an empty room at Beacon and fill it with spiders.

Warm light cut across the horizon as I arrived back at Beacon.

I found an empty training room and went through a series of stretches and exercises. Many required two arms and had to be abandoned, but I made do.

Discipline and repetition had engrained how my body moved while fighting; I would have to break those instincts to get acclimated with how I moved with Aura. 

Also, Aura made a lot of attacks and throws that would normally stun or incapacitate an opponent obsolete. I could stab an opponent’s eye, but their Aura might be able to hold the blow off, leaving me open. Most of what I knew about fighting was more or less useless.

Olympic level gymnastics and acrobatics were simple with Aura. It opened up whole new ways to dodge or move around the field, like nothing I had ever done before.

After a half-hour, I was left with a list of all the things I needed to practice and learn.

I went through some Aura exercises described in the school textbooks that had been downloaded onto our Scrolls.

Cross-legged on the ground, I activated my Aura, the shine outlining my body, before I let it slip away. Then I repeated it, on and off until it started down the road to becoming instinctual. 

The silence and time let my thoughts slip away. The information from my bugs was millions of overlapping touches as I moved them about. Every step they took, every surface they climbed, I felt it all.

Would this be what my days would be like? Reading over course materials, conducting my bugs in the background through various tasks, waking up in a cold sweat _ — _

_ The _ nightmare. I flinched away from the thoughts, doubling my focus on my bugs.

I breathed deeply until the shaking in each exhale stopped.

_ Aster… _

I shook out the echoes of her crying and brought out my Scroll. I had to create an outline for what I would be tutoring the other team leaders to and present it to Ozpin.

Practice scenarios, Master-Stranger protocols, hostage or civilian threat approaches.

I was worried I would teach them to go too far. They should be effective and pragmatic, but would that lead them down my path? 

Using everything you can to save lives; prioritizing ends over means.

Every idea I had came with more doubts.

Also, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to invest in Beacon. 

Being in charge of coordinating others felt unjust after Khepri, and I didn’t know if it would help me be better. 

Wanting to do things differently and knowing how to were separate affairs.

On paper, being a Huntress accomplished everything I wanted it to, but reality was never so clearcut. 

If I decided to leave Beacon for whatever reason, I didn’t want to leave behind half-finished projects that I would regret abandoning. 

Also… I didn’t know if anyone would come for me, either for revenge or to whisk me away. Contessa must have had a reason for leaving me alive, I just didn’t know what it was.

I abandoned any further training, my thoughts too heavy to focus.

After a warm shower in the communal washroom, I got ready for the day.

Beacon had school uniforms.

Red plaid skirts with a white blouse wrapped in a black suit jacket lined with gold trimming. 

I liked the jacket. It was comfortable, warm, and flexible. 

As for the skirt… at least it was easy to move in. 

I tied a small ribbon under my collar and slid long black stockings to cover the bareness of my legs. The shoes were dark brown loafers that were comfortably practical. 

Altogether, it was very… schoolgirl. Not something that someone like me could pull off. 

Bugs grouped around the vents heard the rest of the students wake, Team RWBY especially, since Ruby was panicking that I had vanished. Fortunately, Yang was back and stopped her from going on a search.

Ruby being worried about me was sweet, but I shied away from her gaze when I could.

She saw others as what she believed they would be: heroes, protectors, allies. She had proclaimed that would be Team RWBY’s goal throughout their time at Beacon, including me in the attempt to do a team cheer.

Her eyes, so pure and naively innocent, blinded by the lies she saw in others, in  _ me _ .

I wasn’t a hero. Real heroes didn’t exist.

My cynicism would hurt her, and I didn’t want to do that, even though reality might. 

She was the same age I had been when I started out as a cape, when the world really started beating me down. 

Realism was fine, even necessary, but Remnant wasn’t Earth Bet. There was time before Ruby would have to face life’s cruel truths, and I would only expose her to them faster. 

She deserved time to play hero, to ease into this lifestyle. 

There was some time before class, so I continued research on Remnant and Aura, and many other things. I downloaded books and articles for later references, one being ‘Aura Exercises for Dummies’.

Everyone needs to start somewhere.

I didn’t think I could remember the feeling of not having an Aura anymore. It was just another muscle, something that was natural to have, yet I knew it wasn’t.

One thing I had noticed from my exercises this morning, was that my brain had difficulty keeping up with my newfound speed, but the others seemed to have no trouble. 

Before, I hadn’t been prepared for the sudden increase in speed, causing me to overshoot or throw myself off-balance.

I was getting into position before I registered that I had completed the movement. So, I had to pause in-between movements, just long enough to get a picture on where my body was positioned, but it was enough for someone to take advantage of.

Hopefully, time and practice would fix the problem, but I searched for a solution online regardless.

Team RWBY were discussing bunk beds; they were going to be late at this rate.

A flashing icon appeared on the corner of my screen, a message from Professor Goodwitch.

I scanned through the text of the message and sighed. I was required to register an emblem for myself within a week.

A picture or symbol for identification, and it could potentially give sentimental value to my equipment for better Aura efficiency. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the best with names or appearances.

There was the beetle logo that was on my Weaver costume… No. It didn’t feel right. Glenn had picked that logo, and my emblem only representing my time as Weaver felt counterproductive to… whoever I was trying to be now.

_ Maybe… What the hell kind of bunk beds are those? _

A lone fly ran along ropes that strung up one bed precariously above another. The other bed was stacked on Jenga towers of books, ready to fall over at a moment’s notice.

As I made my way to the classroom, I made a mental note to grab some wood to fix the inevitable nighttime bed collapses waiting to happen. I wasn’t good at woodwork, but anything had to be better than  _ that _ .

I sat comfortably in class—‘Grimm Studies 101’—when Teams JNPR and RWBY dashed into the room, almost falling over each other in the process.

“Oh, there you are, Taylor! Morning!” Ruby said happily between panting breaths. She wore her crimson hooded cape over her school uniform—which looked better on everyone else than me. I guessed she really liked it.

“Morning, Ruby. Morning everyone, cutting it close I see.”

“We were a little distracted,” Yang said.

“Decorating,” Blake added.

“What were you up to?” Weiss asked with a hint of disapproval.

“Training and studying.”

“Oh.” Weiss nodded approvingly to herself more than me. 

The conversation was interrupted as Professor Port entered to begin the lesson. He was the man who had searched for me in the dockyard along with Professor Peach.

After a small moment of attentiveness, I moved onto making a list of what I needed to do in the short term. Introduction classes usually had no real content, and Port’s penchant for telling stories seemed to compound that.

I needed to make an emblem, a task that would be annoying in itself.

Some form of income would be extremely useful. Weapons and supplies weren’t cheap. I’d check around town in regards to the criminal element, but I would check if there was a common way for students to get money first. Upper year students did missions, but first years wouldn’t be sent out until the second term, so that was a non-option unless I wanted to wait a few months for a proper weapon and an arm.

That said, I needed to figure out what kind of weapon I wanted. One that was simple, but helped me fulfill some kind of combat role. Apparently, it was common to design one’s own weapon. I’d have to ask someone about that. If I thought of something, I could get a weapon custom designed.

I did want a prosthetic arm customized, meaning I would need the funds for it. My ride-along on the Nevermore had given me an idea along with what kind of prosthetics I had read were used.

Ozpin’s offer to pay was nice, and I understood the reasoning behind why he did, but I also knew the manipulative nature behind it. A debt would keep me at Beacon, unless I wanted to become a criminal.

Also, I didn’t think he could justify the school paying for the design I had in mind without some caveats. I would only take his offer if I couldn’t find some other kind of income.

Any spider-silk outfits were months away. I wanted to make some for other students too, if I had the time.

Aura training in general.

I’d have to learn about the fighting styles and combat roles of all the teams I could be assigned to. Along with scheduling the practice sessions I had with them.

I looked up from my list as Weiss threw her hand up. Port had asked for someone to battle a Boarbatusk that was currently caged beside him. The Grimm was more armored than any we had encountered during the initiation but nothing particularly dangerous.

Some Grimm, like Leviathans—I swore I’d felt rain on my skin when I read the name of the Grimm—took artillery fire to take down. Other Grimm, with exceptions for really old ones, weren’t much trouble for a single Huntsmen. Boarbatusks were the latter.

The fight was quick, but Weiss fought recklessly and in a less disciplined way than her usual attitude portrayed. I frowned as Weiss snapped at Ruby for shouting advice; an out-of-the-blue intensity behind Weiss’s outrage.

My eyes snapped away from the squabble as the bug I had nestled in Blake’s bow flung about. The bow had twitched  _ on its own _ . 

I didn’t have time to consider an explanation as Weiss stormed off the moment class ended, Ruby quickly going after her.

_ Ozpin suddenly changed directions down the hall toward the two. Interesting. _

My swarm moved and caught the tail end of Weiss exploding on Ruby for not being a better leader, despite Ruby having been team leader for less than twenty-four hours. The haughty girl stomped off, leaving Ruby alone.

_ Childish.  _

Ozpin swooped in, timing too perfect.

One of the security cameras along the halls of Beacon I had found when surveying the school before was perfectly faced at where Weiss and Ruby had argued.

Ozpin had been  _ watching _ the interaction and decided to intervene.

The rest of us gathered our things and slowly left the classroom. Whispers about the outburst snuck through the shuffling of books and bags.

Yang sported a tight expression, like she was deciding whether to punch someone or yell at them. From the impression I had of her so far, it would probably be both.

Ozpin reassured Ruby and prompted her to prove she was a leader to Weiss. Honestly, his advice was comforting and correct, but still disturbing given the context of him spying on the student body in order to be there in the first place.

It was almost as though he was manipulating Ruby into being a better leader.

A clammy discomfort settled in before it all became clear. 

As Weaver, I’d spent my time making people come around to my way of thinking so that they would be useful. I put them into positions where they would be assets, or into situations where I wouldn’t have to worry about them getting in the way again.

Ozpin was doing what I had done, grooming others into being people who were helpful. Useful.

All his machinations with the other students and myself were to engineer good and skillful people to help him with his own goals—whatever those were.

It was a strange otherworldly mirror of what I had done, and I squirmed at the fact that I empathized with it.

Good things for selfish reasons was technically a net positive. 

Or Ozpin was being a good mentor, and I was jumping to conclusions. 

Still, how far was he going with this? Was he setting up events to force people into situations where he can better them? Was he doing it to have better tools to fight the Grimm threat with? I didn’t know what his mission was for all this.

Time would tell.

Weiss had approached Port with her troubles with Ruby. I understood her frustrations. Ruby was younger, a bit childish, and overactive in some ways, but Weiss expecting the younger girl to immediately be perfect showed a glaring degree of impatient pretentiousness.

Port stated that Weiss should work to be a good teammate instead of lamenting that she wasn’t team leader.

The two girls walked away from their respective conversations with motivation in their step. It didn’t shake the aftertaste of Ozpin’s scheming or seeing my ghosts in someone else.

The rest of the day went by quickly despite the monotony of it all. Whole classes were dedicated to overviewing what would be covered, the teachers ignoring the fact that they could have summarized everything with a few short sentences. 

I continued my list, writing down ideas, places to visit, things to research, things to watch and check about Ozpin and his agenda.

As the day turned to dusk, I found myself alone on a plateau that overlooked a section of the Beacon gardens. 

I wanted to help the people of Remnant, in whatever way I could, but the inescapable doubts of not knowing how and the worries of repeating mistakes ate at me.

The biggest problem was that there was no real thing to work toward. Everything I did would be a drop of water in the ocean of battling the Grimm.

There was no constant pressure of an imminent apocalypse, but now I had time, and nothing to do with it.

It almost felt like there was no point to it, because nothing I did would be important.

How could I ever feel as invested in something as I did before, when it would never carry the weight of what I’d already accomplished?

The day’s final warm light fought the chilled touch of the breeze that bristled the trees and flowers below.

I listened to several groups of students expressing their excitement or nervousness.

They had finally started the training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Learning to become glorified professional mercenaries to battle a threat that no one has made an impact against for hundreds of years. They were a product of the world itself.

Jack Slash, the Endbringers, Scion, it was all over, and their absence rang hollow.

_ I had time to collect myself and—was that the reason I was here? _

Were Remnant and Beacon places for me to recover enough before Contessa returned for me?

I shook the thought away. The other students weren’t just tools for my recovery. Even if Contessa meant for them to be, I wouldn’t think of them that way. If anything, they were more opportunities to screw people up.

More thoughts, paranoia, and doubts hounded me, but there wasn’t any point in delving into them. I had no way of figuring things out anyway.

I… I would train and learn for now. I didn’t want to be unprepared for whatever I ended up doing. Killing Grimm would still be helping. That wasn’t a bad goal to work towards. Even though I couldn’t see a way to make a real difference… So, I’d just… keep going…

The sunset fell into the horizon, and the world was dark.

**Chapter 12 End**

* * *

**Alternate Convo Ending:**

“It’s how Ruby and I met. Well, how she met me. I met her in the ballroom,” I added.

“Wait. ‘How she met you’?... You mean, RUBY WAS THE ONE THAT SHOT YOU?!” Weiss began to yell as she jumped to an extreme conclusion.

Yang stopped blinking only to burst into laughter while Blake chuckled into her hand.

“What no! No no no no. I just found her-” Ruby protested, speeding through her response as she frantically waved her hands in negation.

“Best to stay in line Weiss, you now know how she handles discipline,” I remarked flatly, cutting Ruby off, before grabbing things to wash up before bed.

“What! Taylor why?” Ruby begged.

Yang was still laughing as I left, leaving Ruby to stumble through an explanation of how she found me.

It was better like this, a misunderstanding and a joke.

I didn’t want them trying to ask how I got them or why. I didn’t think they were ready for the answer. That I deserved those bullets. That I needed to be stopped. That in a way, I had wanted them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give an enormous thank you to Slapshot, Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Majigah, and Sigravig for killing this chapter with their superior knowledge of grammar and writing, and allowing what this chapter became to rise from the ashes of what I had written to become even better than it was.
> 
> Oh god, we’re only on Chapter 10 of Volume 1.
> 
> Volume 2 starts during their next semester at Beacon, so we have some time to cover. Like, months of time.


	13. Interlude: Friends?

* * *

**Working At It**

_Yang_

Knees bent, arms back, weapons ready; anticipation coiled under my grin. Sweat and dirt covered my body from multiple fights in a row with little rest.

Rubes and Blakey leaned against the wall under the scoreboard that showed my and Weiss’s names and Aura percentages. We were both running low, but I had my little sis cheering me on, and I had no trouble making her proud.

I winked at them and launched forward, Ember Celica blasting fire behind me.

A barrier of ice erupted to greet me, but I had been storing the energy from every hit so far.

My Semblance blazed, looking and feeling like fire. 

It was always such a _rush_. 

My vision lined with the red tinge, and I smashed into the small glacier like a fiery meteor, ice fragments sailing through the air.

Weiss tried to dodge, but the barrage of frozen rubble battered her, breaking the glyph she had been preparing.

She plopped onto the floor, and the scoreboard announced her Aura had gone into the red.

I stood up, letting the flames of my Aura reflect off the shattered ice.

_Damn, I look cool._

“Knock knock!”

“You’re supposed to say that before you hit it,” Weiss groaned from her spot on the ground.

“But that would’ve ruined the surprise.”

I offered her a hand, which she took after a classic Weiss eye-roll. 

“I would have had you if those chunks of ice hadn’t interfered.”

“One; that was your ice. Two; I’m the one helping you up, you know.”

“I’m just thankful you didn’t make any ice puns at the end there.”

“Ice puns? Must have _slipped_ my mind.”

“Booooooo!” Ruby droned as we sauntered over to them.

“Oh, come on Rubes, don’t give me the cold shoulder.” _I am on fire today! Ha! My Semblance is spot-on._

Weiss shook her head and Ruby groaned.

Blake had what I counted as a smile for her, I think. She was hard to read.

Her leg tapped with nervous energy. She was always in a hurry to leave and do... whatever it was she did; I didn’t know. I was her partner, and I’d barely seen her at all!

Whatever it was, Blake really needed to chill out (Ha! Another one) and have some fun. 

I wanted to talk with her about it, but the amount of time she took with whatever it was… it seemed almost obsessive. Not quite at the level I’d had when I’d looked for Mom, but it was getting there—late nights, missing classes, a constant vanishing act.

For now, I’d just try to encourage her to take things easy. We’d only just started school, why not enjoy it a little? 

If things got bad, then I’d talk with her. My own experiences were a little too personal to share with someone I barely knew.

Then, I caught the usual blank slate that was Taylor, the fifth wheel for our team. The girl never reacted to things. She was more like a lizard on the wall than a person. Dirty jokes? No bluster, blush, or even a blink. Puns? Ignored. I’d tried to surprise her once; hid around a corner and jumped out. She walked past like I wasn’t even there.

Taylor was… a person, probably. The vote wasn’t in on if she was secretly a robot or not. All-mission, nothing else. 

She was either training, or working on stuff with the other team leaders, or reading… That was it. A dull statue made of schoolwork and books.

I stroked my fingers through my hair, just in case I’d ruffled it too much in all the fun.

Everyone was just as tired and dirty as I was after all our bouts, though less so than Weiss and me since they’d had our match to rest.

“Woo! That concludes the Team RWBY round-robin training extravaganza!” Ruby shouted triumphantly. “What did you guys think?”

“It was good to see how we match up to one another,” Weiss stated approvingly. It seemed she realized what kind of leader Ruby could be. Or, she at least approved of how we were performing in combat, and I couldn’t blame her.

“I think we’re ready to kick some butt,” I said confidently while slamming my gauntlets together.

We were.

I had watched some of my other friends and their older siblings fight while we’d been hanging out, and I was sure we could beat up most of the second and third-year teams.

That was what happened when your Huntsmen parents started teaching you at a young age, and whatever the others did to get as good as they were.

“Yeah! Team RWBY is number one! I can’t wait till we get some team moves down so we’ll be like swish swish, pew pew, ‘Ah! I’m a Grimm, and now I’m dead, ahhhh’!” Ruby’s excitement continued as she began to act out her sound effects.

_Oh, Ruby. You’re adorable._

“I thought it went well.” Blake’s eyes darted to the arena’s exit.

“We could always be better, but I am willing to admit that we are rather formidable,” Weiss stated, a small blush on her cheeks. Man, the girl had some trouble giving compliments.

“So, how’d we do?” Ruby asked smugly, nose pointed to the sky and arms crossed in front of Taylor.

“It was fine.” Ruby sank. She’d invited Taylor to our practice in hopes of getting to know the girl better, but the stick-in-the-mud had ignored all of my sis’s attempts at friendship. I thought Taylor was a lost cause, but Ruby kept trying, which pissed me off every time Taylor didn’t at least _try_ to reciprocate—which was _every_ time. “I haven’t seen most of the other teams yet, so I don’t really know what level you’re at comparatively. And I haven’t noticed much that needed improving just from a couple matches.”

“Well, _my friend Pyrrha Nikos_ is the four-time regional champion of the Mistral tournaments. She’s probably one of the strongest in the school,” Weiss bragged.

“I see, thank you,” Taylor said flatly.

“You’re welcome. That said, you failed to mention what things ‘needed improving’,” Weiss stated.

“Well, to start; Yang was too aggressive and maybe a little too hot-headed sometimes.”

I furrowed my brow. What was the deal? I was the only one who’d won all her matches, what I was doing obviously worked—wait.

“Hotheaded,” I giggled. Maybe there was a funny bone somewhere in her body.

“That was an accident.” Or maybe not. “Most of your attacks were heavy hits instead of feints or jabs, so they were somewhat predictable. Also, you went for a straight path for your opponent almost every time and used your Semblance in every match.” Her Scroll was up; she’d actually had made a list.

“Why shouldn’t I be using my Semblance?” I asked with a bit of a growl.

“You can, but you _always_ use it, for most of the latter halves of each match. Your Semblance drains your Aura, lets your opponents have time to figure out what it actually is, and you let little hits accumulate to charge it when you didn’t need to get hit at all.”

_Okay, but I won, so why does it matter?_

“On the other hand”— _Is she slipping puns in to mess with me?_ —”Blake wasn’t aggressive enough. There were times when she could have pressed in for a finishing blow but moved out of the way or backed off. Are you used to fighting with a partner?” Blake looked shocked, some internal struggle waging before she nodded. “Well, it’s a good habit most of the time, since you will be fighting with team members, but keep it in mind for when you’re fighting alone.”

We were strong for our grade and had four years to get better; why couldn’t she just enjoy that?

“Weiss has the most versatility in her attacks of the group, but they also take some time to pull off. This wouldn’t be a problem if you can cover her, but when alone, she’s susceptible to getting interrupted before she could pull off a substantial attack.” 

Weiss huffed and walked over to Taylor, looking ready to tell her off, but paused as Taylor’s Scroll caught her eye. “You were taking notes on us during the matches?” She hummed, a quick shift from frustration to acknowledgment. “These are quite extensive for only having seen three fights.” I heard a hint of approval in her words. “And these are…” She pointed to a section.

“Brainstorming tactics or combinations.”

Weiss nodded in thought before backing off. Her indignation had vanished. 

“Ruby, your Semblance gives you the most maneuverability, but you don’t use it very creatively.” Ruby deflated a bit, and her frown gave me a spike of rage that I wanted to jab Taylor with. “Mostly for rushing towards and away from your opponents. Your timing could use some work as well. You should be trying to get behind or around your opponent more often. When you’re fighting together with your team, you should be using it to rush in after someone else creates an opening for you. Maybe practicing with Blake to see when will help?”

_I_ — _you_ — _Ruby is doing fine!_

My sis and my partner nodded to each other. Their relationship was a distant one, but still, Rubes was probably closer to Blake than I was.

“Sounds good… Are you going to be there to help us?” Ruby asked, another try at hanging out with Taylor. 

She wasn’t usually this persistent. Maybe it was because she’d saved Taylor’s life, or because she’d invited Taylor to room with us, or she was just a good person and wanted to get to know the girl. Either way, she kept trying.

“Possibly”—Ruby lit up—“but I’ll probably be busy with the other teams for a while.” And the light went out. My anger spike was sharpening. “Anyways”— _just gonna change the subject like it was nothing then_ —“you didn’t throw a single punch or kick.” A statement that felt like a question.

“I’m…uh, _really_ bad at hand-to-hand.” Ruby had always been embarrassed by that; nothing changed no matter what Dad or I tried, and boy, had we _tried._

“I see. Also, everyone but Weiss should try incorporating more Dust into their arsenal. See how it works with your Semblances.” Small nods all around. “Right, if there’s nothing else—”

“Taylor, if I may ask, how do you think you compare to everyone so far?” Weiss asked, almost assessing. I hadn’t seen her like that before.

“I would lose in a straight fight to almost everyone at Beacon,” Taylor stated indifferently.

_Even if I wanna kick her in them, it takes balls to admit it._

“I have the least experience fighting against Aura users as well as with using it. I’m also still adjusting to fighting with just one arm. My Semblance hasn’t manifested. Everyone is familiar with a complex weapon while I barely have an idea for one.” Wow, girl needed to lighten up. She could probably beat Jaune, at least.

Weiss’s eyes narrowed slightly, arms crossed and head tilted. “Yet you were named as a liaison for all the teams despite that.”

“My position was based on having some experience in team tactics and approaching certain situations. I passed the fourth year military tactics exam, if that helps.” Now _that_ got Weiss going from mild scrutinizing to rapt attention. “As a team leader, there wouldn’t be much for me to learn, and I have too much experience to… let it go to waste, I guess.” Taylor shook her head. “Ozpin’s words. I am well aware of my own failings in combat though. Without the tactics class, I have more time to catch up.”

“Uh, er, weapon!” Ruby stood, fists bunched in front of her, an embarrassed blush blossoming on her cheeks. She fidgeted frantically under our stares. “Sorry, I mean, well, I’m sorry for interrupting, but that wasn’t what I—”

“Breathe, Rubes,” I said. 

“Yeah, sorry.” She cleared her throat. “I meant that I could help you, Taylor, with the weapon part that is!” She fumbled a few times but still got to the landing… though it was more of a crash landing.

“You can?” 

“I designed Crescent Rose myself!” Ruby stated proudly.

Taylor paused. Without visible reactions, I couldn’t tell if she was considering the offer or not. “If you’re willing, I wouldn’t say no. Weapon engineering isn’t something I—”

“I got you covered. Taylor”—sparkles flashed like fireworks in Ruby’s eyes as she took Taylor’s hand into hers—“our baby will be beautiful and deadly. With _all_ the guns.” 

_Coming on a little strong there, sis. It isn’t a marriage proposal_ — _I hope_ — _but you’re too focused on the weapons and the chance to be friends with Taylor._

“I have a more simple design in mind, but… sure,” Taylor drew out, not knowing what monster she had just unleashed. “Thank you.”

I leaned in, examining Taylor’s face closely. There might have been a less upfront way of doing this, but this was easier and faster. 

Taylor raised a brow at me. “Yes?”

“Sorry, just watching to see if you’ll actually smile or not,” I said. Someone had to bring it up eventually. “You don’t really react to anything, so I decided to watch and see if this time would be the rare exception.”

“I smile,” she denied.

“Err…” Ruby groaned out, obviously debating whether or not to pitch in. It was great that she didn’t want to hurt people’s feelings, but it made her scared to say some things that needed to be thrown out in the open. 

Taylor’s slight raise of an eyebrow was enough of a prompt to get Ruby to talk. “I actually haven’t seen you smile yet… It’s actually been kinda creepy…” She muttered the last bit with a wince.

Taylor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had looked almost frustrated for a moment sooo… progress?

“Sorry, that’s a habit of mine. I’ll try to… emote more,” Taylor said.

_Not smiling is her default? Yeeesh._

I shrugged, keeping my smile to myself. Hopefully, that would help her lighten up a bit.

“Are we done?” Blake asked somewhat curtly.

“Yup! Great work, Team RWBY!” Ruby raised a fist into the sky for victory.

_Good, I need a shower. My hair is not having it right now._

“Ruby, can you stay behind?” Taylor asked.

I stopped and turned back, just catching Blake’s departure through another exit. Off to who knows where doing who knows what.

“Sure! You wanna start on your weapon now?” Ruby bounced around with anticipation. 

“No. We’re going to go over a bit of hand-to-hand.” Ruby’s mood died faster than the time she’d cracked open a piñata that Dad had filled with veggies as a joke. 

“Good luck with that. I’ve been trying to teach Ruby that for years,” I said. So many years…

“I appreciate it, Taylor, but I wasn’t kidding. I’m like, super terrible.” _I wouldn’t say_ super _terrible, but…_ “And it doesn’t matter, as long as I have Crescent Rose I’ll be fine.” Ruby cradled her weapon lovingly.

“It won’t hurt to try. But first.” Taylor extended her hand for Crescent Rose.

Ruby looked between Taylor and her weapon, fighting herself before surrendering it. A puppy forced to give up its favorite toy.

“I only know the basics, but Savate or Taekwondo might be better for you to learn than Yang’s style,” Taylor said.

“What was that?” The fire roared to life under my skin, waiting to burst out.

_She thinks that I can’t help my sister? With the very thing that I’ve been learning since I was six?_

Taylor was good at tactics or whatever, but I _knew_ hand-to-hand and I _knew_ Ruby. If I couldn’t do it then I doubted she could. It wasn’t a slight on Ruby, it was just how she was. I was her sister, I would know. Teaching Ruby to fight without her scythe was as likely as me handing over the keys to Bumblebee to some stranger… or Ruby, cause one of us inherited the inability to drive from Dad, and it wasn’t me. 

“Nevermind.” I huffed out a long breath. “Do you need any help?” I asked, maybe a little hopeful for something to do since getting to know Blake was obviously off the table.

“We should be fine.” Taylor turned to Ruby. “We’ll go over some basics, then try them with a staff in hand.”

There was no harm in letting Taylor try. 

“Alrighty, see you guys back at the dorm.” 

Blake was long gone. A glance back at Ruby and Taylor didn’t give much confidence that it would go like Ruby hoped—at least in terms of making friends.

I grabbed my stuff, used the communal shower since Weiss was in the one in our room, and headed back afterward. 

Weiss walked out just as I returned. 

Well, maybe I could hang out with Weiss at least.

“Hey, Weiss. Any plans?”

“A full evening of studying.” And she was off to the library or wherever she went to study. Weiss hadn’t smiled, but there was a hint of something. I guessed studying was her idea of a fun night…

The silence of the dorm was there to greet me. 

Weiss always liked to study alone, and I couldn’t think of any way to help on that front. Taylor was trying to teach Ruby. Blake… I shook my head.

No one really needed me. 

I sagged into bed and brought out my Scroll to play some games. Alone.

“Welcome to Beacon; here is your team.” I waved a hand to the empty room. 

* * *

**Grasping at Shadows**

_Blake_

I needed to know why, because it _didn’t make sense_. 

Nothing we had— _they_ had done matched up with this.

Classes were only two weeks in and things were going well. I had a team of… interesting individuals. 

Most importantly, I was finally taking the first steps to make up for what I’d done, and becoming someone who could help the Faunus properly. At least, that was what I’d thought.

Until I’d read an article published by the Vale News Network. Another Dust shop had been robbed.

The difference between this and the previous thefts was that the White Fang had been proven to be accomplices to the string of Dust heists throughout Vale, thanks to an incident at the Vale docks a couple weeks back.

Someone had busted the White Fang while they were attempting to smuggle Dust that Roman Torchwick had stolen. The serial numbers of the crates, the weights, the incandescence of the Dust—everything matched.

The White Fang were working with a _human._ A scumbag thief with a laundry list of crimes.

How did that help the Faunus? 

So, I’d investigated Roman and the shops that were robbed. 

I had been relieved when the first shops I’d looked into were known for either raising the prices for Faunus or simply not selling to us despite the non-discriminatory laws, but the next shops were a different story. None of them had any history of discrimination against Faunus—one of them had even been owned by one! 

The White Fang had stolen from and possibly ruined a Faunus-run business!

It didn’t make sense. Working with a criminal and targeting Faunus? I’d thought they were misguided, their methods extreme, but at the heart of it all, they fought for equality. 

Now, I wasn’t sure of anything.

I had turned a blind eye to the radical behavior for so long, but our actions had been _working_. Faunus were people instead of animals, for once!

At least, I thought we had been... 

Had I missed that the White Fang had become just a criminal organization, just like I’d ignored the suffering we had caused for humans?

If that was the case… it meant that I hadn’t been fighting for Faunus rights, I had just been a criminal. No better than Torchwick.

So consumed with my beliefs that I lost sight of what I had become.

Just like _he_ had with his spite.

I just… I _needed_ to make sure, go over every operation I remembered. Find a reason for what the White Fang were doing.

Sienna allowing something like this went against everything I knew about her. 

Then again, working with a human went against everything I knew about the White Fang. 

They weren’t evil. _No one_ was truly evil.

But they may have been far more misguided than I had ever imagined.

It just… it just didn’t make sense.

* * *

**The Savior and the Champion**

_Pyrrha_

_Deep breath. Big smile—not too big, don’t want to come across as weird._

_Okay, let’s do this._

I turned the corner and casually walked into the training room. 

Three students clashed, sword against spear, already practicing despite the sun having barely risen.

It was nice to see others putting in so much effort so early.

My first destination was the rows of training weapons and equipment that lined the far wall. I didn’t need them, but if I approached the group directly they might react… in a way I wouldn’t like if they noticed who I was.

I took my time, eyeing the practice dummies around the circle that marked the sparring ring.

The sounds of practice stopped, and I held back a flinch.

They were now staring at me, eyes filled with awe and reverence. 

_I guess it was too much to ask not to be immediately recognized._

“Hello!” I said with a wave, putting in as much cheer as I could to hopefully put them at ease or stop them from gawking. Good introductions were the first step to making friends.

They murmured greetings in response, not meeting my eyes and only looking when they thought I wasn’t paying attention. 

I took a step closer to use the sparring ring, and they all rushed to gather their things.

“Oh no, you don’t have to leave on account of me!” _Please don’t._

“It’s fine. Really. We were just finishing up anyway and well, we don’t want to get in your way.” The female student gave a small bow before following the other students as they fled.

I sighed loudly, my shoulders slumping with the weight of another failed conversation.

Everyone at Beacon was there for the same reason, and I had hoped that I would have been just another student.

No matter how hard I tried, things never changed.

Whenever the ‘invincible’ champion was near, they stopped for an autograph, picture, or they ran, like _they weren’t worthy_ of me. 

That girl had actually _bowed_.

My team was better than most but… Nora was incessant about knowing what it was like to have met Pumpkin Pete, and no matter how many times I told her that it was just a brand and not a person, she still insisted on calling me the ‘champion of cereals.’ 

Amusing as the title was, I would rather not have another one.

Ren was quiet and respectful, even deferential. A different kind of admiration.

Jaune had been the only one who had, by some miracle, not known who I was at all. Except, he was busy all the time. He was obviously rather… new to Huntsmen training, and it sometimes took him longer to do some of the assignments. Especially the ones that Taylor had cooked up for the team leaders. 

I wanted to offer to help him but… he was the only one who saw me as _me_ and not just as an idol. I… I didn’t want to come across as overbearing and push Jaune away. If things got too tough for him, then I’d help out.

There was also Team RWBY, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to spend time with any of them individually; it was always with both our teams.

Ruby was excitable about things she was passionate about, like being a Huntress or weapons. Especially weapons. She had cooed over Miló and Akoúo̱, asking about them in great detail, which I was happy to provide. Then she had asked about what video games I liked. I hadn’t played any; there was never any time between training, traveling, and publicity events.The trend of her asking about things I had either never heard of or never experienced had continued, and the conversation slowly died from there. I wanted to kick myself for not asking her to show me some of the things she talked about. 

Yang seemed fun, if a little wild. She had friends amongst the first and second years. Popular and social. It made it hard to approach her; usually, her friends clammed up when they saw me.

I hadn’t spoken to or seen much of Blake. She had all but disappeared.

Weiss… was well-meaning in wanting to improve, but it felt like she was trying to use my skills and status to better her own. I had hoped that someone who was also a celebrity would be able to empathize with me, but she didn’t seem to want to escape her fame like I did. 

Taylor was like the other students, watching but never coming up to talk. She had done some sessions with a lot of the other first years, tests or asking questions about how they fought. Not with me, though.

Why was it so hard to find someone to talk to?

I decided I might as well practice since I was in the training room. Maybe work through some of my disappointment. 

I started through some basic maneuvers, each breath and slice amplified by the silence around me.

“Is that something that happens often?” I heard from the entrance to the room.

Taylor stood at the entrance in training gear, her posture still and gaze focused as always.

“More than you’d think. I thought you and Ren were doing Aura mediation during the mornings?” I asked. I was already disheartened and wasn’t looking forward to another person holding me up on a pedestal this morning.

“Nora snatched him as I was brewing the tea. Her expression… well, I hope he’s doing alright.” I giggled at that. “You train alone every morning like this.” It was a statement rather than a question. “Why don’t you try and train with Jaune in the mornings?”

“He… usually he’s doing some last-minute touch-ups to his assignments.” 

_And trying to finish the extra assignments you gave him._

I flinched. That wasn’t nice at all, or fair to Taylor. 

“I see. Would you like to train with me for a bit?” she asked, hopefully having not noticed my grimace.

I paused and blinked at Taylor. “Of course, I would love to!” My guilt over my bitterness tripled, even though I was happy for the interaction.

“You aren’t going to ask why I’m only now asking you after training with most of the other first-years already?” Her expression was still a blank mask as she put her glasses into a small case and set it by the wall. In their place, she slipped on a pair of thin goggles that some people wore so they didn’t have to worry about their glasses falling off during combat. Probably reinforced as well.

“I was wondering, but I’m happy for the chance to do so now, so the reason doesn’t really matter.” 

“It was for three reasons.” She picked a shortsword from the rack of training weapons. “The first was that I wanted to get a handle on everyone’s skills to see how I could… help them. I didn’t need to do that for you.” _I see. It was because of my fame again, as always._ “The second was that I didn’t think I could actually keep up with you in any kind of training. Not until I do team exercises anyway. There was nothing I could think of that you hadn’t already done on your own.” _That confirms it then_. 

“Lastly… was something I wanted to talk with you about.” The only sign of hesitation was the small pause.

“Of course, you can ask me anything.” I tried to sound as friendly as possible. I knew I had to keep trying to make friends, to have people see me for who I am, people like Jaune.

“Talk while we practice?” She gave her weapon a few practice swings.

“Of course, if it won’t distract you.”

“No, I think it would help, if anything.”

“Light sparring?” I asked. 

I was nervous before, but now tension crept into the air, leaving it thick with anticipation. 

Taylor nodded, and we slowly circled one another. 

Her right side was open thanks to her maimed limb, but I was adamant that I wouldn’t take advantage of that. It wouldn’t be fair, and I didn’t want her to think I was underhanded.

Miló shifted from its sword form and sprang forward as a javelin in a sudden lunge aimed at Taylor’s chest, but she had already started moving the second I began. 

The thrust went over her right shoulder as she dipped and retaliated with a slash at my feet.

I leapt back but Taylor pursued, forcing me to revert Miló to its sword form for the short-range. 

Taylor followed up with a rising slash aimed again at my legs. She was forcing me to dodge by attacking places that would take too long for me to properly block with my shield.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked.

I slowed my speed to not overwhelm her. Taylor had improved at a stunning pace since the initiation, but while the speed of her blows had matched and exceeded some of the other students, there was still a brief moment of hesitation between each attack.

Our weapons clashed, pushing to break each other’s stance. 

Then, I pulled back, using her momentum from pushing forward to slap her weapon to the side, then flung Akoúo̱ around to hammer its edge into her stomach. 

Taylor used the motion of her blade to twirl it around into a reverse grip to lock Akoúo̱ in place with one of its crescent indents.

“There was something I wanted to make sure of—” I leapt off the ground and did a cartwheel in the air, changing Miló once again to its sword form. With Akoúo̱ still locked with her weapon, Taylor was forced to somersault with me to prevent it from being ripped from her grip. “—and that something is partly the reason why I haven’t talked with you sooner.”

As soon as we landed, I spun Miló around my neck. 

Taylor ducked to avoid the spinning blade, but that had been my plan.

I marveled at how she reacted as she let go of her weapon and jumped back, but I had already raised my hand to let Miló meet it on its second spin. 

As soon as it reached my hand, I let the bladed end follow my elbow as I brought the other end down on her shoulder with a resounding thwack.

Taylor let out a small grunt, and we disengaged. Not a hint of frustration or disappointment on her face.

Her lack of reactions made her difficult to read, both in conversation and battle. 

“I’m impressed that you read my attack, but why let go of your weapon?”

“Couldn’t dislodge it from your shield and avoid the blow, though I should have moved faster to dodge anyway. You could have hit my head instead, so losing the weapon was the safer choice. Even if I did dodge it, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid your kick.”

“That’s very thorough. I’m surprised you saw the kick as well.”

“I noticed your knee shifting, my body just wouldn’t react fast enough.”

I had heard from Ren and Ruby that Taylor had only had Aura for a couple of weeks before the initiation, to help with her head-wounds. They had said Taylor didn’t mind them telling people as long as they didn’t badger her with questions. 

In so little time, she had gotten to a level that almost matched Beacon students. 

It was frightening; either she was an even greater prodigy than I had been praised as, or she had been a fighter before losing her memories. She was too proficient for any other explanation.

“Honestly, I think you are doing fantastic. It’s been amazing to see you improve by leaps and bounds in only a few weeks.” I meant every word; she deserved it for her efforts, even more so after receiving an injury that left her with amnesia. “Again?”

Taylor grabbed her weapon, and we readied ourselves again.

She came forward cautiously this time, feinting a stab at my shoulder then whirling around for a slice at my hip. 

I dipped away while Miló swatted the attack with a downwards sweep.

“I wanted to make sure that I hadn’t been treating you… harshly in any way.” 

Our blades touched while I was struck still with confusion. 

I was brought back to reality when Taylor used the push of my block to reverse the grip on her sword once again while stepping closer and kicking at my feet.

“Why would you think you’ve treated me badly?” Besides being somewhat stand-offish, I wouldn’t have said she had been mean to me in any sense.

I used my Semblance to help pull Akoúo̱ down to block the kick in time while bringing Miló up and around for a downwards chop at her sword-arm. 

Instead of trying to block, Taylor stabbed her sword lightly into the ground and let go of her weapon once again.

My swing divided the air between her and her blade.

As soon as my slash passed the handle of her sword, she grabbed it and arced the blade towards my neck. 

I fired a round from Miló, so that after I dodged, I would be in a position to counterattack. 

“Honestly, I thought you were a bully the first time I saw you,” Taylor stated just as I leaned back to avoid her swing.

“What?!” I jolted in shock and fell backward.

Taylor’s attack flew over me as the back of my head met the floor of the sparring ring. My legs flew up with the force of the motion then smashed down on the floor.

The sting was minor, especially compared to how Taylor’s words rang in my ears.

I lay there, looking at the ceiling, arms wide at my sides.

“Ummm, Pyrrha, are you okay?” 

“I—you-you thought I was a bully!?” I sat up. Taylor seemed even taller than she normally was, passing my height even with my heels.

She stepped back slightly, almost embarrassed? “The first time I saw you was when you pinned Jaune to a column. Then you left with Weiss, who had been… her usual self the night before. It wasn’t the greatest impression to start off with,” Taylor stated.

“Oh, I see.” My cheeks burned. Of course someone who had seen all that without context would have gotten the wrong idea! “I’m sorry I gave you that impression at all! I haven’t really dealt with…” Peers? Friends? People who weren’t admiring me for my titles or avoiding me due to them? “Well, I had just thought that it was the quickest way to get Jaune out of Weiss’s personal space.” It had been rather much, I hoped he hadn’t interpreted it the same way Taylor had. “It was rather excessive now that I think about it.” _Am I babbling?_

“No, I understand. Jaune was being pushy in some sad attempt to get Weiss’s affection.” Which was something I didn’t really understand, but to each their own.

I looked down shyly. “So, all this time you were wondering if I was a bully?”

“Somewhat. You reminded me of one I knew from a long time ago. I kept catching myself comparing the two of you for a short time after the initiation. I’m pretty sure it was some attempt to help me cope with everything by associating people I met with ones I remembered. To find a sense of normalcy… That isn’t important. Regardless, I wanted to make sure I hadn’t accidentally made you feel like I had… treated you badly because of it."

She stared at me blankly, the worry for her actions only reflected in her eyes. 

I started to chuckle. My giggles built until I shook with bellowing laughter. 

This had been the complete opposite of what I thought was happening.

“Pyrrha?” Taylor questioned, her tone sounding like she was wondering if I had gone mad.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just that… all my life, people have been treating me like some unapproachable idol just because I’ve won a few tournaments. The ‘invincible girl’ they call me. Like what you saw this morning, people don’t think they’re good enough for me, so they stay away. I thought you were avoiding me because you were like them. Hearing that it was because you thought I was a bully was… entertaining, definitely.” I smiled at her, my mood like the sun breaking through rain clouds. “It’s just refreshing. Really. Thank you, Taylor. And don’t worry, you haven’t mistreated me at all. In fact, you may have just treated me more like a regular person than almost everyone I’ve met in years.”

“Well, then, I’m glad. To be honest, I wasn’t aware of your awards or accomplishments beyond what the others have said till a couple of weeks into the school year. Also, there was something about a cereal that Ruby likes…” Taylor said. After a moment, she reacted like she forgot something before letting a small grin form.

I stood up and patted dust off my clothes.

“Wait.” I took a moment to process what she had said. “Does this mean you remember something from your past?”

“I—” She stopped as soon as she started, and her head lazily turned toward the blank training room wall. She looked exasperated for a moment, and I think her eyes rolled. It was in the direction of the school’s center I think, or was it because of what I said? “I do remember some things, but no names or places. I can recall some events but not why they happened and such. Nothing that could help me figure things out at all.”

“Oh, well. I’m happy that you were able to remember something, at least.” I truly was; no one should have to deal with forgetting everyone in their life. “I hope more memories become clear for you.”

“Thank you.” There was a small furrow of her brow, which quickly disappeared.

“So, want to go again?” I wanted to continue. I hadn’t talked with someone this long and honestly in years.

“Thank you but no; I thought I would be able to do better, but I’m not moving well enough to be able to train with you in any way that would actually be training for you. I thought I was getting the hang of using Aura to enhance my moves, but I just can’t think fast enough to—oh, god damn it!” Her voice rose but none of her body language was angry, an odd dichotomy.

“Uh, is everything okay?”

“Yes, sorry. I just realized something obvious.” She sighed with exasperation. “Is that offer to go another round still on the table?”

“Of course.” 

For the third time, I locked onto fierce hazel eyes, this time with a genuine smile instead of the one I had learned to wear for TV and photos.

I switched Miló into its rifle form, resting the barrel on Akoúo̱ to steady my aim, and fired a series of rounds, one at each of Taylor’s limbs.

Taylor had already been moving the moment I aimed.

She weaved around the shots like she knew where my barrel had been for each shot, casually lifting one leg slightly higher to step over the one bullet that was the closest to hitting her.

The hesitation between her movements was gone, and a confident certainty had taken its place. She jabbed at my leg, and I extended Miló into a javelin that blocked the approaching blade.

Taylor followed up with a right kick that I stopped by pivoting Miló, which also sent her sword upward. She anticipated the move and hopped with her other leg to deliver a wide kick.

I used my semblance to push Miló in my grip, forcing my elbow into a position to take the blow, then pushed her back with Akoúo̱ to put her in the perfect range to strike.

Instead of dodging, blocking, or being pushed back, Taylor jumped _onto_ the shield so that she was sitting on it. 

Miló danced out to slap at her sword before it could come from around the shield for a strike.

Then, just as my legs bent to spring up and shove Taylor off Akoúo̱, she leaned down around the shield, and I turned my head in time to see her stubbed arm hit me square across my jaw.

Instinct kicked in, and I tilted Akoúo̱. Taylor half slid, half was pushed off my shield.

I brought both legs into Taylor’s stomach before she landed and kicked off, sending her through the air.

Flipping backward, I landed on Akoúo̱’s smooth surface, swinging my legs to spin into a kneel facing Taylor.

Miló had already switched back into its rifle mode and aimed at her before she landed with a dull thud.

“Huh, so your Semblance is sight-based. I was sure you were going to redirect that,” Taylor stated as she sluggishly rose from the ground.

“I—wait, what?” My stance eased, and I dropped my aim.

“It’s either some kind of telekinesis or magnetism. I’m leaning towards the latter since you’ve only used it on metal so far, unless that’s just what you’re trying to portray,” she continued nonchalantly.

“How did you figure it out?” I could name the people who had figured out my Semblance after one fight on one hand.

“Your weapons sometimes moved without your arm moving first.”

“You were reading my movements that precisely? No wonder you kept stopping me from setting up any combos or critical hits. And how you were keeping up at that speed?” 

I had still been taking it easy except for my last attack, but noticing my motions that finely? Incredible. I could see why she was placed as a liaison for all the teams.

“I’m not nearly as fast as you or most of the other students yet, so I have to make up for it somehow. Letting you set the pace in a fight would be incredibly dumb. From what I’ve seen, once you’ve made your opponent do what you want them to, you’ve won.”

“You certainly didn’t let me predict what you were going to do. Even if it was only a light spar, I’m glad we fought. You adapted and were unconventional, specifically at the end there.”

“That was the plan. You weren’t attacking my right side, after all.” 

“You noticed I was doing that… Sorry, I didn’t want to—”

“Don’t worry, I get it, Pyrrha.”

“Also, you focused on my head with your sword to make me complacent, and you always started by attacking my legs, so that I’d think you were focusing on my footing to set up your attack at my head.”

“That’s right. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hit you through skill. Though, I wasn’t sure if you could sense the metal end of my arm to move it or not. So, I had actually thought I wouldn’t be able to hit you until the fifth or sixth round of sparring if you could.”

“That’s really impressive. Was the increase of fluidity in your movements also part of your plan?”

“No. Before, I was focusing my Aura on my muscles while not doing so for my brain and nerves. I was literally not thinking fast enough for my movements.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. I would never have thought that would be a problem.” 

“Probably because it’s something super intuitive, and I’m approaching all this from a… different mindset.”

“What? No! I didn’t mean it like—”

“No, sorry. I wasn’t saying that you were condescending to me; I was the one patronizing myself.”

I wanted to say that she shouldn’t be so hard on herself, but maybe this was just her way of improving.

“Considering how this morning started, I was not prepared for what happened.” I was smiling for a bunch of reasons now. I was happy, astonished, and impressed.

“I’m glad things worked out.” She returned her training sword. “That’s all I had to say, so I’ll see you around then.”

“W-wait!” I called out, and she turned back around. “I, um, would you like to do this again sometime?” I blurted out.

Her stare punctuated how awkward I felt. 

_Had I said that right? Was that presumptuous of me to ask? It was rather spur-of-the-moment…_

“I’m not anywhere in your league. I wouldn’t be a good training partner.”

“That’s not true!” That was fine, it didn’t matter.

She gave me a flat look. “I know where I’m at, Pyrrha.” I slumped, another opportunity lost. “I would be happy for some help though. Or… just some conversation, if you’d like.” The offer was hesitant, unsure, and it was one of the greatest things I had ever heard.

“Yes!” _Too much._ “I mean, I’m looking forward to it.” _More than I think you’ll ever understand._

“There is one thing though, Pyrrha.” I stiffened. “I... appreciate your tact, but I am missing an arm. Next time, attack from that side. I would rather practice defending from that angle of attack while sparring than in an actual battle,” Taylor said, no resentment or scolding in her voice, just a simple request.

“You are very right on that, I’m sorry.” I saw the hypocrisy, wanting to be treated normally while treating her differently. “I am still surprised you did that though.” I hadn’t been properly hit in a fight for years and was happy that it had finally happened.

“Might as well get some use out of the rest of this arm until I get a prosthetic. And I think we’ve both done enough apologizing to each other today.”

“Of course, sor—I mean, okay… There is one thing, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to that bully you mentioned? The one you thought I was like—if you remember that is.” I seized up as the words left my mouth. I had been so caught up in how open this was all making me feel that I did the exact thing I was scared I would do to Jaune. Mess things up and possibly scare someone away.

“Not sure. Didn’t care enough to remember where she ended up after we worked together that last time,” Taylor said, oblivious to how utterly terrified I had just been at ruining what was happening. “Did I see her at the end…?” she asked herself quietly.

“You worked with her?” I wanted to continue the conversation and, in panic, did it in the worst way I could imagine. Taylor didn’t remember her past, I had to stop asking about it!

“Yes. There was something that had to be done,” Taylor stated, either not realizing or ignoring my slip up.

“So, you worked with her even though she was a bully?” I decided that after that question, I would shut up and stop doing the exact opposite of what I just told myself I would do.

“I trusted she would act like she usually did, so I knew she would do her part without much incident. I worked with someone worse during that mission. I… regret having got to the point that we had to work together. It was almost like saying that I accepted or tolerated what he did by putting him in that position. Her too, I guess, but what she did was so minor in comparison to everything. Though the situation may have justified it, it shouldn’t have happened like it did in the first place.” Taylor paused, almost like she caught herself doing something bad. “Sorry, it was just nice to talk to someone about some of my recent thoughts. I might be oversharing. And I just apologized again.”

“It’s fine really. I’m… I’m really happy that you were willing to share at all.” _Oh thank god._

Relief ran down my back like cool water, easing the fire on my cheeks and knot in my stomach.

_This is the most genuine, real conversation I’ve had since I was thirteen._

I glanced over at the clock. “We have time for another round, if you’d like,” I said hopefully.

She answered by grabbing a practice sword.

Once again, I found myself circling the girl who had been nothing like I’d thought she was. 

Instead, I was training with someone who could be a friend.

* * *

**The Only Warning**

_Cardin_

“Cardin,” Goodbitch stated with almost hidden disdain. The way she said my name felt like she’d found the answer to a question.

I had turned the corner to where the rest of the class was listening to her boring speech. She hadn’t even let me take a moment to enjoy a joke gone right before she was lecturing me.

“Yes, Professor,” I droned.

“I was just alerted that one of the lockers was launched. Why am I not surprised to find that you are the only one around to have fired it? Specifically, since I had made it clear, more than once, to _not_ launch any until I went over what justifies an acceptable reason for doing so.” I was in too good a mood to bother with her flak. 

_God, Jauney-boy’s face; priceless._

“I must have missed that part. Thought I would try it out for practice, you know?” Hamming up my innocence was one of my specialties.

She glared at me. I always hated that look. The one like the bitch was looking down on me or accusing me of something.

“Fine. But I expect you to retrieve the locker and place it in the area for repair and refueling _by the end of the day_.” She crossed her arms, like she was intimidating or something. Now _that_ was a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. Can do.” Once you take that stick out of your ass, that is.

She pivoted and stalked back to yammer on more about the lockers to the others. They were lockers, you put stuff in them, not much more you needed to know. Even Jauney or that red midget could have figured out how they worked.

_Man, I should have recorded his takeoff! Damn, I bet I would have caught a bit of his girly scream over the locker blasting off. Oh well, lessons learned and all that._

I wished the rest of the guys had been here. Getting split up into separate touring groups than your teams? Stupid. ‘Meet other people, build relations, blah blah blah.’ We were gonna be seeing them in all our classes, so what was the point?

After another twenty minutes of pointless lecturing, we were finally heading to the weapon maintenance rooms. I’d been meaning to sharpen up the edges on the Executioner anyway.

Everyone began filing out of the room after Goodbitch. I hadn’t bothered moving from the wall I had been nodding off against. I yawned and started to follow behind the stragglers out the door.

The second my foot reached the room’s threshold, someone yanked me by my jacket and tossed me into a row of lockers.

My ears rang as my head painfully bounced off the metal frame, and I slumped into a seated position.

“What the fu—” I began before my blurry vision caught a knee aimed for my nose. This time, my head dented the locker behind me, sending a hollow chime humming throughout its frame. 

“Who da uck!” I brought my arms up to block any more strikes to my face, only to be kicked in the stomach. A cry of pain tried to escape, but I only coughed out brutal wheezes.

Tears from the injuries involuntarily crept in my eyes and distorted my vision, though not enough that I couldn’t make out fucking Herbert or whatever her name was standing over me.

I staggered back onto my feet, slightly hunched from the hit to my stomach, meaning that I matched heights with the ugly bitch.

“Wat da uck do you fink yer oing?” I soothed my nose with one hand and readied a fist with the other.

I didn’t waste time waiting for her to respond as I whipped a quick haymaker at her, only for her to step around the outside of my blow and knee me right in the goods.

Icy pain lanced up my spine from my groin, a queasy ache of vomit threatening to spew. 

Every sensation dimmed as migraine-like throbs ebbed from where my hands now cupped. I didn’t even realize I had dropped to my knees until I had to raise my head to look at her.

_Fucking fuck! I’m going to kill this fucking bitch!_

“Cardin. This conversation was going to be a lot less painful, but you were the one that made it have to happen like this.” She articulated each word, expressing a confident menace that I wouldn’t have expected from a beanpole.

“So, listen up, because I’m only going to say this to you once. This time, and this time _only_ ”—she paused, almost fighting with herself—“I’m going to let Beacon take care of your punishment,” she ground out almost begrudgingly. “This will be their chance too,” she murmured under her breath. “I was always going to put an end to your _pathetic_ little jabs at the other students, but today you really pissed me off.” _Fuck you bitch, you’re all hissy because of a little prank? Fucking spazzing cunt._ “So, I’m giving you this warning. Tell the rest of your team too. No more bullshit. No more harassing the other students. I don’t give a fuck about your reasoning. No more.”

She stood up, dismissing me—like I was fucking nothing. 

Then, she stopped in the doorframe and looked back, a tired look on her face.

“I’m… sorry I went straight to hitting you.” _The hell?_ “I should have talked with you about it first, though I doubt you would have listened” _—Cunt—_ “I should have tried anyway. You just _really_ ”—there was a bite to the word that made my breath hitch—“pissed me off with that.” Then she was gone.

I used the locker for support, fighting past the clenching pain, and stood.

The fucking bitch comes and ambushes me, gets a few sucker punch hits in before I can get my Aura up, fucking threatens me just because she doesn’t have a funny bone in her skinny ass, then, to top it all off, apologizes and just fucking leaves!

_Fuck that and fuck her. I’m gonna fuck that bitch up. Fucking looking down on me. Fucking attacking me and getting a few lucky hits._

My Aura nursed my aches, but the nauseous afterglow of being kneed in the crotch lingered.

Tell my team that she spazzed out and hit me? Fuck that. Cut down on my fun? I wasn’t gonna ruin my time here at Beacon for that bitch.

I gathered myself and sauntered out of the locker room, my mood ruined. I fumed as I made my way back to whatever dumb shit Goodbitch would be nagging about now.

Not like I was gonna let some cunt who thought she was special just because she found some stupid, different colored relic tell me what to do.

* * *

**A Deal Just Right**

_Hei Xiong_

I straightened my tie and cracked my neck, trying to let my frustration drain slightly.

“Okay, one more time. And _without_ something catching on fire, thank you.” My men scrambled to comply while some were ready with fire extinguishers this time. “And you bunch, careful with the glass, I don’t want another pillar crashing down. Just got the damn things,” I muttered the last part to myself.

Turi nodded to me before flipping the switch. White flashes popped to life and then faded into crimson, the glass features all around bathed in red before illuminating white as the lights changed back. Perfect.

“Looks good, good work finding that stray wire, Orson! Be ready to shut her down if there’s another spark, Turi!” I said.

I checked my Scroll—twenty minutes had gone by, enough to let her stew a bit.

The informant sat idly at the bar, sipping some water. She’d asked for tea, but I wasn’t going to fish out a teapot just for her. Seriously, who wanted tea at a nightclub?

“So, you’re ‘Stella’?” An obvious pseudonym, but it showed that she was competent enough to use one.

“That’s me.” Her right arm was gone from around the elbow down. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who she is. “You’re Junior?”

“That’s right.” I stood a little straighter. I had an image to keep after all—Miltia and Melanie snickered at me from the corner, which I ignored. “Your info panned out.” She nodded. “You looking for a reward?” 

“No, first time was a gift.” And to show that she could get info. 

“So, now you’re looking to sell?” I leaned against the bar beside her, standing so I was taller than her. 

“That’s right.”

“And how do I know you’re ‘trustworthy’?” AKA, ‘not a narc for the VPD’.

“I doubt the authorities would waste the resources on your on-the-side business with Torchwick around. Small fish either aren’t fished for or are thrown back. No offense.”

I waved her concerns away. “That’s what I aim for. All I am is a simple go-between for organizations that need information or men. Speaking of info, if you want to sell any, then we gotta set some terms.”

“That’s why I’m here.” She took another sip of water.

“What are you after?”

“Fees based on the value of information and some contacts for some off-the-market equipment.” Rather typical.

“If you’re looking for Dust, you’re out of luck. Roman and the Fang have taken most of everything. Even the smuggling routes.”

“Not Dust.” Good. All the robberies were making people antsy, meaning more Grimm outside the walls, which in turn made smuggling harder.

“Drugs?”

Her lip twitched down. The only reaction she’d given so far. “No. I’d like to get in contact with someone who can get me a custom prosthetic.” She lifted her maimed limb a fraction at her side.

“I know a guy, but he’s pretty serious, only takes big money, wants to be left alone. I don’t really give his number out.” I did, frequently, but this was how deals went.

“What do you want for it?”

“Exclusivity. You only sell your info to me.”

“I don’t know. That’s a pretty hefty commitment. I’d like some kind of monthly retainer, even a small one.” 

“Fine”—Ha, I was going to offer one anyway—“but you gotta stay on the down-low. I don’t want an informant that everyone knows about. Too easy to target.” And if you don’t build a rep, that means you’ll be stuck with me.

“Deal,” she said, a little too quickly… Had I been tricked here? No, I was the one playing the deal. I must have gotten her to think it was a good deal. “Also, I’ll only come by when I have info or if I need to talk.”

“That’s fine, your schedule’s yours, but if you don’t come in after a while, then I’m cutting the retainer fee. You gotta make it worth it to keep you.” I didn’t want another employee anyway. Better to have her on tap when and if she struck gold. 

“Make it a three month grace period.”

“Done. Now, I’ll pay premium for anything you have on Torchwick or the Fang’s operations. They’re shaking things up too much.

“That’s what I’m focusing on.”

“You’re focusing on them?”

She paused, took another sip. “There’ll always be crime, that’s not something you can ever change. Most criminals understand that keeping the populace ignorant and unaffected by it keeps things hidden and keeps the Grimm away.” Then, a fierceness edged her words as she spoke, “Roman and the White Fang are going too far, hurting too many people; that’s why I’m focusing on them.”

So, she had a bit of a hero complex going then? Good. I didn’t like how Torchwick had used my guys, or what he was doing in the city.

“Besides, Roman’s actions are certainly drawing attention. VPD has been talking about Atlas personnel showing up.”

“What?”

“Just a rumor, but I expect payment if it pans out.” A money-grubbing informationist with a smidge of gold in her heart. That was someone easy to work with.

“Fine, fine. Do you have anything for me now? Otherwise, I have some construction to look over.”

“...There’s a Faunus named Timber Heorulf, runs the ‘Alpha Meal’ restaurant.” She shook her head as she said the restaurant's name. “His food supplier got a new manager that doesn’t like his ears and won’t let him out of their contract. He’s been talking to some people about smuggling some food. Don’t know if you know anyone who’d be interested in being a seller.”

That was some easy work that Tanner’s group might like. “Yeah, I think I know a guy. How do you hear about this stuff?” 

“Just heard it while I was taking a jog about the city. It’s amazing what some people say out loud.” A small smile tugged at her lips but never formed. 

“Well, as long as the info’s good, I don’t care.” 

We went over some logistics, exchanged contacts, and procedures for when and how to come into the club. 

“I’ll contact you as soon as I pick up another burner Scroll.” She left, not bothering to even glance around the club, the lights reflecting on her black, wavy hair.

I turned to find Miltia and Melanie with looks of disapproval beside me. 

“Miltia?”

“Yeah, Melanie?”

“I think our boss is going to get suckered by another pretty face.”

“I think so too, Miltia.”

They both smirked, turned their noses, and walked away.

“It was one time!” I shouted after them, but my objection was lost as the speakers flared to life for a test run, blasting right in my ears, because of course they did.

**Friends? End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PRAISE BE TO Juff, Breakingamber, Sigravig, Majigah, and Chris C! For being awesome.
> 
> Working At It:  
> Changed this one up a bit, nothing too substantial though. Some of the titles for these have changed, because I didn’t like them… that’s about it.
> 
> Grasping at Shadows:  
> So, while Blake does figure out that Roman is working with the White Fang, she doesn’t know that he’s giving them orders/getting ready for something big. So, we basically get obsessive Blake right off the bat. Only good things can result from this.
> 
> Also, the Roman/White Fang connection already being out in the open is basically the first domino that kills canon, though it won’t become apparent until… around Chapter 27ish.
> 
> The Savior and the Champion:  
> Didn’t really like the action of this one, mostly because it wasn’t as cool as I wanted it to be.
> 
> Taylor reacts to Ozpin beginning to watch them fight on the security feeds, if that wasn’t hinted enough.
> 
> I changed Taylor’s eyes from green to hazel. Originally, I wanted her to have a physical connection to her Dad so I had her eyes be green. But now I realize that I don’t think I’m going to do much with that connection so why not just have it be the canon version. So yeah.
> 
> The Only Warning:  
> Cardin is actually kinda fun to write. Mostly because he’s soooo stereotypical of a bully character that trying to write the dumb reasoning behind what he does is interesting.
> 
> Final Pyre was what I had called Cardin’s mace. Joan of Arc reference etc etc. (Cause he’s a reference to the Cardinal of Winchester who supposedly interrogated Joan of Arc before her trial, wink wink nudge nudge). In the manga, they named it the Executioner. Pretty heavy-handed, but I changed it to match canon. Though, I think mine was better.
> 
> Cardin is referring to Ruby when he says ‘red midget.’ In the manga (the anthology version, cause there’s like three RWBY mangas) he bullies her too for being young and stuff. Dumb bully things. He doesn’t really see her as being a real Huntress intraining cause of her age. 
> 
> Huh, there was very little I changed in this one, even on a prose level.
> 
> A Deal Just Right:  
> How did I not choose this title for the first time? 
> 
> Hei Xiong is Junior’s actual name. 
> 
> Stella is just a pseudonym Taylor is using. No real purpose or meaning behind her choice of name. It became a happy coincidence with her emblem. 
> 
> This one got a big tonal change. I didn’t want Taylor to seem like a crime lord or somehow instantly became a big player in the Vale underground, but it kinda came across that way. So, I stepped things back. 
> 
> Junior thinks he got her, but Taylor doesn’t really care about a rep, and Junior was the only crime dude she had found, so there weren’t any other options for her to turn to anyway. 


	14. Interlude: Friends??

* * *

**Mirror**

_Weiss_

With the ring of a bell, my advanced Dust application class was over; a shame really. I enjoyed Professor Peach’s thorough procedures and rigorous testing. They were the perfect opportunity to put my expertise into practice.

I was the only one of my team in this class, but considering who I was, it wasn’t very surprising. It did mean that I was alone on my journey back to the dorm, which I took at a brisk pace.

I didn’t have time to dawdle, I had a strict schedule for the rest of the day. Meticulously planned out to make the best use of my time, of course.

First on my list was a review of Ruby’s assignment for her Tactics and Strategy class. A good peer review always helped, and as a good teammate, it was natural to take up the task.

After that, I would help my other teammates with their courses.

I entered the room and found it empty, still going over my list in my head.

Yang would get a compiled list on Dust formula balancing. How someone could be competent in Math and Science yet, as soon as the question had more than one answer, get flummoxed, was beyond me.

As for Blake, I had set aside notes from _every_ class for her. That girl had been missing classes and performing poorly since the first month of school. As her partner, Yang should really set Blake straight, or Ruby, as leader, should take responsibility.

 _If I were leader this wouldn’t be_ —

I cut myself off. Breathe in. Breathe out.

_Weiss, you are trying to be the best teammate you can be._

Surely, Yang and Ruby wouldn’t leave someone to flounder in their studies for whatever obsession that Blake seemed to be consumed with for no reason. Yang would butt in if she saw a problem, and Ruby cared too much not to help.

Maybe they had left Taylor to deal with the matter?

I glanced over at the bed in the corner. Books, a tea set, and a small dresser for clothes. No decorations or decorum, almost military in appearance. It made the one area of the room… out of place.

Ignoring the boxes still used for storage along the walls—mine were at least fitted into custom suitcases, so they were less crude to see than cardboard—every member of Team RWBY had added their own little touches to the room, and left some behind less intentionally as well.

Ruby’s pajamas hung over the side of her bed, pinned by a pile of comics at the foot of her bed, which, naturally, was unmade. I had to glance away before I got a headache, but the sight was very Ruby.

Yang had that obnoxious poster, but at least she could make her bed, if somewhat sloppily. Her puppy throw pillow was cute, not that I’d ever own something so childish. 

The least lived-in was Blake’s bed, with a set of slippers gathering dust alongside a messy pile of books poking out from under the bed. The sheets were exactly as they had been the day before, since Blake hadn’t returned last night. Still, it felt like Blake’s space, quiet and serene. 

I hoped whatever ‘hobbies’ she had gotten caught up in weren’t anything perverse or illegal. 

Taylor’s bed was made, which I would have approved of if not for the fact that it added to how Taylor’s area looked more like how one lived in a hotel than her own space. 

I couldn’t exactly help Taylor as a teammate, since she wasn’t one. She was… a team advisor? Tutor? 

Regardless, if I was going to be the best teammate, then surely there was something I could do for her that wasn’t schoolwork. 

There was combat practice, but Taylor’s style was decisive, prone to setting up finishing blows. My more formal learning wouldn’t be productive for her to use, especially since she actually had reach with her absurd height—she didn’t wear heels, and I still had to crane my neck as much as I could just to see her face.

Taylor was well on her way to catching up in that area on her own, anyway.

So, what was there? I could help her pick out something to make the corner more her own. I was fully on board with Ruby’s designation of Taylor being ‘the secret fifth member of Team RWBY’, if you ignored the pose that dolt did whenever she said it. 

I didn’t care about ‘Momo’s Weird Journey’ no matter how many times Ruby tried to explain it or get me to watch that drivel. 

I was confident in my own tastes for dorm decorations—my _Amade Monet_ original depicting Forever Fall was my silent pride on the wall, so my taste was unquestionable. 

Anything to spruce up the dour corner. Even the ropes and books that held up the beds, though precarious, added to the room… Wait, they weren’t there anymore.

Instead of the tangle of ropes that held up Ruby’s bed and the uneven pillar of books supporting Yang’s bed, there were wooden sleeves fitted over the bannisters of the bed’s floor and headboards. 

“Who did this?” I asked out loud, and silence answered.

I cautiously stepped towards the new bed configuration and gave it a gentle push, then a hard shove. Both times, the sturdy wooden frame of the sleeves held the beds firm and in position.

At least the new set-up was structurally sound. 

The staff must have seen our work and… decided on an upgrade? I wasn’t against the new configuration. Though, there was something… endearing about how we had just strung up the beds. Almost like building a fort out of pillows with friends—something I had seen on television but had never done myself.

I would have to ask the others if they had any idea on what happened. For now, I had a schedule to keep.

I placed my bag by my desk, pulled out the chair to begin studying, but something caught my eye. 

Taylor’s notes sat idly on her desk. 

Notes of the girl that had somehow scored near perfect on her tests, even scoring _above_ my own excellent grades. Despite her poor combat prowess, Taylor’s test answers had a textbook-level of precision and detail, like she had all the reading material with her at all times.

She wouldn’t mind if I just peeked a little, right? I just wanted to see how she organized her notes…

I glanced around the room despite myself and shuffled over to the desk.

It was only to see how I could improve. Honestly, as a liaison to the other teams, Taylor was supposed to be helping the other students, so a peek was completely acceptable.

I snatched the book and quickly skimmed over it. Written notes, with messier writing than I had expected… Not even cursive. Sections where the ink was slightly smeared. Though, she did say that she was right-handed before...

My eye twitched as I moved on to the next page, then the next.

The notes weren’t anywhere as detailed as mine! Had I been focused on the wrong things? 

Taylor had written down summaries of the main ideas, but none of the more obscure or in-depth details. 

I frowned, setting the notebook down and grabbing another. 

Complete gibberish. Numbers, letters, and symbols placed almost randomly to make jumbled words that looked like a list.

_How are these notes?_

“Weiss.”

I did _not_ jump a few feet from the ground and juggle the book from hand to hand, nor did I squawk. 

My heart hammered in my chest and my posture shot up perfectly straight.

I wasn’t good with scares—that movie Yang had everyone watch was more than enough proof of that. I hid it well, though I still didn’t know why Yang giggled every time I skillfully blocked the screen with a pillow. 

Taylor stood in the doorframe, a blank expression on her face. 

With Winter, you knew when she was angry. With Klein, it was disappointment. 

The blank mask that Taylor wore was far worse. The same face she stared down a student with—mostly that fool Jaune—when someone failed in her team practice sessions.

“T-Taylor! Good evening.” I forced a smile through my shame, the same one from when Klein caught me sneaking cake from the kitchens. “How are you?”

“Fine. Yourself?” She walked toward her desk and notes, and I slid out of the way. She didn’t _seem_ upset. 

“G-good! Just about to start studying.” I gave a slight pause, hoping she would pick up on the invitation to study with me and praying it would serve as a distraction from my attempted theft. Nothing. “I was preoccupied by the new beds.”

“I didn’t think anyone would mind.”

“Wait, _you_ changed our beds?” 

“Best to fix them before they eventually fell on someone in the middle of the night.”

I knew we were rather _whimsical_ when we made them, but they hadn’t fallen yet… except for that one time, but that was only half of the bed swinging down from the ropes… It didn’t _actually_ hit me, the only issue had been Ruby falling on me… 

Okay, fixing the beds was most likely an appropriate idea in hindsight.

“Well, thank you. Where did you find the wooden braces to make these bunk beds anyways?”

“I made them.”

“ _You_ made them? I didn’t know you knew how to do carpentry. I hadn’t even considered it a worthwhile skill to learn as a Huntress.”

“I was… taking care of an area with a bunch of ruined buildings for a time, learned a bit then. Well, enough to be able to screw some pieces of wood together.” She sounded nostalgic. “I wasn’t able to help up as much as I should have, so my work is more functional than pretty. Glad I learned it though.”

A more diverse range of abilities was something I needed to consider. I recalled the time Taylor had run a scenario in a flooded building—she had somehow gotten permission to flood the practice building we used for team battles in tight corridors. None of us knew how to turn off the water main, something I wouldn’t have contemplated as being applicable to being a Huntress, and it had made things _much_ more difficult.

But ruined buildings? Ones that she was taking care of? What did she do before she came to Beacon?

She lost most of her memories of her past; asking would be incredibly tactless and improper… maybe that’s why Ruby was able to ask Taylor about such things? Or rather, pester her.

Taylor had kept a respectable distance from the team—well, from anyone, really. Everyone else was a colleague or ally, an admirable display of professionalism…

Even if it _might_ have been nice to get to know her a little better… Discuss tactics, study methods…

Then again, Taylor had admitted to remembering some aspects about herself. Pyrrha had mentioned it when I had suggested she, Taylor, and I should form a more personal study group. 

The two strongest and smartest students plus someone who had been knowledgeable enough to be placed as a liaison for all the other teams, as one group? We’d be unstoppable. If only their schedules weren’t so busy. 

Taylor sat on her bed and started to read a book. Maybe she hadn’t noticed me peeking at her notes?

I hurried back to my original task, going over Ruby’s assignment. I loaded it on my Scroll and dutifully went through it.

_Good. She formatted it just like I had shown her._

I brought out my own Scroll and began typing some corrections for Ruby to fix and comments she would have to work from. 

Honestly, our supposed leader’s approach to this scenario was completely off. It was a good thing I was here to help.

“You’re going over Ruby’s leadership class homework?” Taylor asked.

“Just marking a few small”—they weren’t small, it needed major changes—“things that I think she could do better on.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Of course, be my guest,” I stated with a small wave of my hand. Nothing wrong with a second set of eyes, even though I was sure Taylor would agree with my reasoning.

Her eyes darted down the document as I waited expectantly before her lips tugged down into a small frown. “I don’t think I would agree with your tactical plan on this.”

See, I knew she would agree with—bwah?

“Sorry, could you repeat that? I must have misheard you.” Perhaps I’d been staying up too late studying.

“I think Ruby was right, for the most part, in this scenario. I would run the operation in a similar way,” she explained.

“I—but—that can’t be right. She’d be risking the hostages!”

“The scenario doesn’t list any demands or the reasoning behind what the perps are doing. So, we can’t assume they haven’t taken the hostages to just torture them or something.” I hadn’t thought of that possibility. “So, the team can’t wait to move in. The hostages’ location and status in the building are unknown, so Ruby’s shock and awe approach would be effective,” she elaborated. 

“I, uh, well yes, that’s true, but…” The more I thought it through, the more I realized she was right. 

“Although, for your team, I’d let Blake try and sneak in beforehand, with her ready to send a signal for the rest of you to barge in if they noticed her. If Blake’s able to stay hidden, then you’d know the layout and more of an idea of how to approach things,” Taylor added. 

I ran through it in my head a few more times but still couldn’t find a flaw in her logic. “I can agree with that.” I should have figured it out myself though! 

“There’s no need to pout.” 

I spun on her. _I most certainly did not pout!_ Then, the strain in my cheeks from pushing them up was replaced by heat. 

_Great, Weiss. Not only did you miss something obvious, you’re acting like a child as well!_

“You did fine,” Taylor continued, moving back to her bed and returning to her previous position, ignorant of my self-scolding.

“Fine isn’t good enough.” 

Taylor’s face scrunched up slightly. “Your approach would have been right if it was a conventional hostage situation.” She paused in thought. “I guess this also depends on which Kingdom you’re in. Atlas has a strict policy on dealing with criminals and terrorists; not negotiating with them under any circumstance.” 

I flinched away. I knew Atlas’s response rules—my sister _enforced_ them. No negotiating with criminals. No quarter. Under any circumstances. I heavily disagreed with the policy.

If it was the White Fang, I would understand not dealing with them—they wouldn’t hold up their end of the deal anyway—but with normal criminals, the ones who could be reasoned with... Why should they be treated the same as a murdering terrorist organization? Why use the same amount of force and lethality when it wasn’t necessary?

People shouldn’t be sacrificed for duty or results; that ruthlessness was what sullied the Schnee name.

“Other Kingdoms have different rules for that, but regulations for other Kingdoms don't come up till second-year classes, I think,” Taylor pondered.

“That’s very well put.” And thorough. “I’ll put that in for her,” I stated. 

“Though… her reasoning for it just sums up to ‘they need to be saved so save them’, huh,” she said.

I knew there would be at least something wrong. “You’re right. Even if her approach is right, the reasoning behind it is wrong.”

Taylor paused. No reactions or movement. I wasn’t sure if she was waiting for me to continue or something else.

“But Ruby is right,” Taylor said softly. “They need to be saved and that’s enough reason. Idealistic but not practical… You need to be both.” She suddenly seemed tired.

“Uh, yes, I suppose that is correct.” I watched Taylor gaze at nothing before she snapped back to herself like a spring. 

Taylor sat at her bed to read while I went over Ruby’s assignment again.

After I was finished, I prepared a cup of coffee and started going through my notes.

Silence settled into the room, only interrupted by the flip of a page or tapping against our Scrolls. I went over the words but nothing registered.

I found myself starting a letter to Winter instead. She was far too busy to simply call and talk, so we had decided on letters. We could reply when convenient, and I liked that it felt more personal between us. 

My pen hovered over the page as I debated if I should ask Winter about how she would approach the scenario. I knew Winter would follow protocol and execute her duty flawlessly, but how her and Taylor’s reasoning differed for each decision would be… interesting to learn. 

Winter was fair to everyone, whether they were enemies, allies, or family.

Based on suggestions for situations and arguments she made in class, Taylor was brutal to her enemies but protective of her allies. 

That brute Cardin gave her a wide berth, for reasons I could only speculate on. Most assuredly because he did something to anger her. She had somehow tripped some paparazzi following Pyrrha when we were in town and snapped at some upperclassmen for mouthing off at the younger students, among other incidents.

There should have been more but… I didn’t know enough about Taylor to truly list the distinctions. Something I should correct at a later date.

I sighed. Class notes replaced my letter as I tried to focus on studying, _again_.

There were twenty minutes left until I needed to switch to one last review for the history test tomorrow. I’d also have to check in on Ruby to make sure she was doing the same. Yang was hopeless and couldn’t be corralled, but her grades were acceptable. Blake was off researching something again; that girl had really let her grades go. I’d better make sure to talk to her about that again.

_‘You’re a Schnee, keep your posture straight and act like one!’_

I instinctively straightened my back and adjusted my sitting position, then slumped when I realized whose voice had echoed in my thoughts.

_I had been slouching a little though…_

My coffee had gone cold, and I didn’t want to waste time making more, but my eyes drooped again to argue the point.

I gulped the last of the liquid down and shook my head at the taste. The cheaper brands seemed like they had more bite, better to keep you awake than the ones we stocked at the Schnee manor.

“Would you like some tea?”

Taylor was still on her bed, but steam trailed from the spout of her teapot on the desk next to her.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” I said. I would need it if I wanted to make up for my lack of progress so far.

The tea set was porcelain white with different colored butterflies decorated around it. Not something that would have been allowed at home, but still quaint. It was one of the only possessions Taylor had brought to the room since school started.

A floral aroma filled the air as I felt my mug warm from the newly added drink.

As I set down the pot, I realized that it would only be Taylor and me in the dorm for most of the night.

Yang had gone off gallivanting with her other friends, something that had become more frequent as of late. Ruby would be gone till later tonight; all the team leaders had gone off to do a special training mission. Blake was off doing who knows what; she didn’t usually get back to the room until late or possibly not at all.

Normally, I studied best alone, but this was my chance to ask Taylor to join me. Her stringent focus would also prevent me from getting distracted. Asking her more about herself would simply be a welcome coincidence. 

Taylor closed her book with an audible clap that shook me from my thoughts, causing hot liquid to spill onto my hand. Thankfully, I did not drop the mug.

I did not yelp, regardless of what Taylor’s slightly amused expression might have said.

“You okay?”

“Yes, it’s nothing.” I blew on the reddening blotch of skin on my hand. “Um, uh, what were you reading?” I asked, not at all attempting to distract her from my mishap.

“Plava Pyrope’s _Origin of the Soul_. It’s a book regarding the theories around what Aura is,” she stated, setting the book amongst other library books she had procured.

“That’s not part of the school curriculum.”

“No, but I wanted to know the origins of Aura.”

“It’s the manifestation of our souls,” I answered quizzically. Everyone knew that.

“That’s what we’re told, yes.”

“And you disagree?”

“If it were true, it would mean that when someone’s Aura was completely depleted, their soul would be gone.”

“But it would simply return in time.”

“But why does it come back? Does that person not have a soul for that small period of time? Why does Aura act like a muscle? When our Aura gets stronger, does that mean our souls are getting stronger? How can we even measure the amount of ‘soul’ someone has? Why can we manipulate that energy at all?” Taylor listed as she grabbed a pen and the odd leather-bound book she occasionally wrote in.

“Well, that’s just how Aura works. While I am unclear on exactly how it is done, it shouldn’t be so strange to be able to measure something as tangible as Aura.”

Taylor shook her head. “There has to be _some_ reasoning behind it. Look at Semblances. Why would it be odd for someone to have more than one Semblance?”

“No one can have two Semblances. It’s impossible. Aura only expresses itself as one specific ability.” 

“But why? Semblances _supposedly_ are based off of one aspect of a person, but people are multifaceted. Why are they represented by only one thing?”

“…I’ve never really thought to question it. That’s just how Aura works, it’d be weird otherwise. It would be similar to… having another arm and thinking it was normal, I guess.”

Taylor only hummed in response before sitting back down and flipping open her book.

It was a silent end to the conversation but open-ended enough. I dug into what little courage I had saved up from my last failed attempt and asked, “Did… Did you want to study for the history test together?” 

“I would, but I need to write some things down for tonight.”

“Aren’t you worried about your grade?” I asked, more accusingly than I had meant to.

“No, I’m confident I’ll do well enough to get the stipend from the test grade, anyway.”

“You… need money?” Realization dropped like a rock in my stomach.

She didn’t have memories of who she was, or at least, none that helped her in any significant way, meaning that she didn’t have _any_ resources or funds from before. She might be living off the money Beacon rewarded students for good grades instead of using it for equipment upkeep like we’re supposed to. Was that why she hadn’t gotten a replacement for her sword yet? And why she didn’t have any decorations of her own?!

_How could I have been so blind!_

“If you need anything I can—”

“I’ll be fine, Weiss. Thank you though.”

“Alright then.” My offer died before I could even give it.

I glanced around the room, trying to spot any other differences that I might not have noticed. Definitely not because I was looking for another conversation piece.

My eyes rested on a piece of white-plated shoulder armor that Taylor wore on her field gear. There was a piece of paper that seemed to be stuck to it.

“Why is your armor here?” I asked.

“I’m supposed to mark some part of my equipment with my emblem, so I’ve stuck the stencil onto one of my shoulder plates for now,” she said.

“Oh, you have the stickers and imprints in?” She nodded. “May I see?”

“Go ahead. It should be fine to take off now.”

I bent down and peeled the white sheet off the armor plate, leaving behind the emblem pattern that had been on it.

It was a perfect circle of a cloudy gray, with a slender eight-pointed star of the same color in its upper-right area. The diagonal points were slightly shorter than the others.

All in all, a pretty simple design, yet recognizable. Something that I would have expected from Taylor.

“I approve. What made you choose this design?” The Schnee emblem was the natural choice for me, but I hadn’t considered how everyone else decided theirs.

She stopped writing and stared at the book in front of her. “If I was to be poetic about it, I would say that it’s about a single star not being able to make up a sky. But really, it’s just a reminder of how little we can do alone,” she said solemnly.

“I see.” I didn’t see. Honestly, it sounded rather sad.

Another length of silence passed as the slow scribbling of Taylor’s pen replaced any conversation.

What did she write in that book all the time? She never took notes in class, which had been a gripe of mine before her test scores came in.

“What do you use that book for? It’s not the one you use in class, and I doubt it’s a diary like Ruby has.”

She turned the book around to reveal more gibberish. She had _two_ books of whatever that was? Why would—oh!

“Is that in code?” I asked skeptically.

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“Just for some things that I didn’t want to keep track of on my Scroll.”

“Why would you be worried about someone looking at what you have on your Scroll?”

She looked contemplative for a moment, then said, “If it gets stolen or lost, I won’t have to worry. Also, you never know who’s keeping track of what you’re writing and searching on your Scroll.” Her tone had been rather cryptic, but who did she think would be looking? 

An alert chimed on Taylor’s Scroll that flashed with an urgent red light.

Taylor’s brow furrowed, and her gaze hardened. It reminded me of when Winter received a message from the Atlesian military.

Taylor set down her book and brought up the flashing text playing on her Scroll. I stood, silently waiting to see what was happening.

“Hmmmm. The White Fang just intercepted a shipment of cargo from Atlas,” she said with a frown, answering my unasked question.

_Of course they did. Those criminals have done nothing but show their vile nature as of late._

“What was the cargo?” I asked, my scorn towards the White Fang’s actions seeping into my words.

“Don’t know, it isn’t mentioned. Atlas has been sending some of their new military equipment to Vale recently though, most likely to announce the new models to the kingdom.”

“Those animals stole Atlas military weapons?!” I could only imagine how angry Winter must be at all this.

Taylor stopped peering at her Scroll and seemed to re-examine me with her usual passive expression. After a moment, she continued, “Yes, it seems they’ve been harrying Dust and weapon shipments coming into Vale for some time now.”

A bitter taste seemed to fill my mouth. “Not very surprising. Those Faunus criminals are nothing but scum. I hope the Huntsmen or the VPD catch them soon.”

“...Yes, or maybe someone else will,” Taylor said and began to clean up her things.

“What do you—wait! Where are you going?”

“There’s something I have to check on now. I’ll be back late.” I didn’t get more of an answer before Taylor was already closing the door behind her.

“What do you have to check at this time of night?” I exclaimed to the closed door. There wasn’t a reply, and I was left alone with my thoughts.

Taylor was similar to Winter, yet different in many key ways. Still, both were carving their own path. Winter was the youngest Atlesian Military Specialist in Remnant’s history. Taylor was the first and only team liaison at Beacon. 

Yet, here I was, too inept to learn about those around me, too inexperienced to fully think through a class assignment, and too unfocused to stick to the study schedule I’d set, which was supposed to help me fix those issues. 

Was there something I was missing? Some skill or lesson I hadn’t realized? 

If there was something I needed to change to overcome the problem, I would. 

I was going to be the best Huntress possible—I wouldn’t accept anything less. Then, I would wipe away the stains on the Schnee name and make a legacy I could be proud of.

I wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of that—especially not myself. 

* * *

**Hunting for Shadows**

_Blake_

“I just want to know why! The White Fang has _never_ been this open with their attacks before, and they aren’t just hitting anti-Faunus businesses anymore!” The wood of the table crunched under my fist as I slammed it down. I flinched at the small crater around my hand. “Sorry… I’ll pay for repairs. I just want to know why they’re doing all this.”

“Look, Blake, I get it. They’re going really far this time. Robbing Dust shops is one thing, but attacking shipments as they’re coming in is another. I already told you, the person who was in charge of the White Fang in Vale got iced at that incident at the docks a while back. I bet whoever took their place has been stepping things up, but my friends in the Fang aren’t around to talk much anymore. Busy with all the crap they’re up to now,” Irvin said calmly, while his scaled tail wrapped around the tea kettle he had brewing just as it began to steam. “Would you like some more?”

“No, thank you. Sorry for barging in like this, Irvin. I just… I don’t understand why the White Fang is suddenly shifting to outright terrorism. It’s like they don’t care about what happens to the people of Vale at all, Faunus or not. At least it’s only known locally, so the Faunus of the other kingdoms won’t be judged for all this.”

“Still, the locals are being forced to either join the Fang to get shielded from the backlash of all this, or get shunned by everyone else. They’re being ostracised by the humans who bundle them in with the White Fang, as well as all the Faunus in the White Fang who see them as not standing up for other Faunus. It’s really divided the community, ‘fight with us or against us’ and all that.” Irvin poured himself another glass of tea before setting the pot back down with his tail.

“You haven’t considered rejoining with all that’s going on?” I asked cautiously. 

“No.” I slumped slightly with relief. “I’m fighting as an example for equality between humans and Faunus in a different way now.” He glanced over toward the stairs leading to the second floor of his home, the ones that led to where his human wife was taking care of their child.

Then, he turned to me with a blank look. “Have you thought about it?”

I froze, and my eyes darted from his.

“I have... At first it was because I had doubts if I could be a Huntress, or if it would help. Now, I’ve been thinking of doing it just to get some information on what’s happening. I… I need to know if the White Fang has truly become everything the humans have been accusing us of being. Of _them_ being. There’s been a lot of deaths now… if rejoining helps me find out if they’re more than just misguided then it would help me find a way to stop them or at least put them back on the right path!” My voice had risen steadily throughout my rant and I found myself standing. I quickly sat back down and let out a shuddering breath. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine, Blake. You always were so much more invested in the cause than others.” He gave me a warm smile then shifted into a serious expression. “If your plan is to rejoin, _he_ might find out, you know.”

My world shifted.

_His hair glowing red with his Aura. His blade gleaming red as we fought together. His blade red with blood…_

“I’ll just have to get out before that happens,” I tried to say confidently, but sagged at how unsure it came out.

“Blake… don’t you have people that might be able to help you with this? What about the members of your team? They’re Huntresses in-training, right? Wouldn’t they be able to back you—”

“No!” I shouted instinctively before reining myself back in. “I mean, I don’t want them involved. I left the White Fang because of all the people we were hurting, I don’t want my team to be one of those people…”

“I get it, Blake. I really do.”

“I want to be a Huntress. To be able to protect Faunus and be an example for them. And I want to do that with my team. That’s why I can’t let them know…”

“You haven’t told them yet, that you’re a Faunus?”

“No… I just wanted to be treated for who I am for once. In the White Fang, we were only seen for our race and mission; it was never Blake they saw. As a Huntress, I could be both.”

“But you want your team to see ‘Blake’ before they see the ‘Faunus Blake’.”

“Yes.” _To be normal…_ “I haven’t been able to spend much time with them because of everything that’s happening. But I want to… I just can’t right now.” My ears twitched downward in guilt within my bow.

“It’s… hard, I know. You never get used to the stares.” Irvin closed his eyes, like he was picturing painful memories in his head.

I nodded. Any Faunus knew those looks too well.

My Scroll buzzed, my timer going off.

“I have to go, or I’ll miss my ship. Thank you for helping me with this, Irvin. Sorry again, for the table. This has all been… Say thanks to Malva, and hello to little Fern for me.”

“Of course, Blake. You take care. With the White Fang escalating and Vale pushing back, something’s going to break.” He walked me to his door.

He was right, something was going to break eventually. I just hoped it wasn’t all the progress the White Fang had made until now.

* * *

**Bystanders**

_Velvet_

I curled my ears inward as the chatter from the cafeteria hit me. My ears picked up too much, and the sudden uproar as I walked through the doors hurt.

No one I knew was there, only a sea of nameless faces.

With each step I felt stares pick out my ears in the crowd—the only feature people focused on. I tried to hold them taut, so they wouldn’t flop around and draw attention.

Once again, I wished I hadn’t got caught up adjusting Anesidora. I would have been with my team downtown enjoying lunch with friends.

Instead, I picked up a tray and food, before hunting for an empty spot to sit. 

There weren't any, but I did make out a group of third years I somewhat recognized: Team PSTL (Pastel) if I remembered right. I made my way to where they chatted and sat down in a spot between them and another group of students.

They took a quick look at me as I began to eat, and their focus drifted up onto my ears.

I stiffened as I caught one of them rolling their eyes and gesturing toward the doors. The sounds of their trays dragging across the table toward them as they left seemed to drill into my ears. They continued their conversation as if nothing happened, except for one of them eyeing me with a scrunched face as they went by.

I sighed, whether from sadness, or relief they didn’t do anything else, I didn’t know. 

Either way, my salad suddenly tasted bitter. 

A dull thud reverberated through the bench, then another smaller one from my other side.

I froze in my seat, cautiously turning my head.

A large boy I had never seen before with short burnt orange hair sat beside me. Another boy with a pale green mohawk stomped one leg onto the bench on the other side. Two other boys sat on the other side of the table.

Each had grins on their face as they watched my ears like they were a television show.

I drew into myself, trying to be as small as possible.

“Ha! See! They just curled in. I told you they were real. Can you believe it?” the larger boy joked to his friends.

They all laughed, and my ears curled even more to try and block them out, which made them point and laugh harder.

They were acting like I was the first Faunus they had ever seen, like we didn’t make up thirty percent of the Remnant’s population. Jerks. This was just another excuse from them to make a spectacle and have ‘fun’ at a Faunus’s expense.

I didn’t bother looking at any of the other students; they would just turn away.

The boys continued their mockery, never acknowledging me, only my ears. 

I tried to block them out, but each comment still stung, no matter how many times I had heard them throughout my life. 

They’d get bored eventually and move on; bullies always did.

My thoughts drifted to fighting—fighting back at least—but I tossed the idea as soon as it appeared.

I couldn’t fight back. What if I did and no one helped me? Or worse, what if I did and others joined in against me?

They were still going, still mocking my ears, still laughing about it.

My lunch finished, I set my salad bowl and utensils to the side. Someone would have to clean them up after me, which left a pang of guilt, but this way I could maybe use the empty tray as a shield.

I tried to stand up and flee, hoping that they wouldn’t stop or pursue me.

The large boy—not as big as Yatsuhashi, no one was as big as him, but still much bigger than me—reached out for me, his hand shooting straight for my ears.

Then, an arm blurred past, a butter knife held in its fingers, hitting the boy straight in the face with the heel of the palm.

The boy reared back with a howl of pain, blood streaming from the cracks between his fingers as he held his nose.

I dared to turn my head toward the boy’s attacker. 

She was taller than Coco, thin, and her wavy, black locks spun with her as she grabbed the bleeding boy’s collar and hauled him toward her.

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise and rage as he saw his attacker, which meant he missed the girl’s foot snaking around his ankle.

The girl punched the boy’s hands, further crushing his nose, and sent him tipping backward. His head smashed through the wood of the cafeteria table.

He was sprawled over the bench, swearing and cursing at the girl.

The girl was silent. No anger or sadistic enjoyment, just a hint of tired annoyance, like this was a bothersome chore for her.

Her foot came up and stomped down. No hesitation. 

The audience of students gasped. 

The bench snapped and the boy screamed, but the sound that seemed to echo the loudest was the sickening _crunch_ of breaking bone and the tiles of the floor.

“I told you, Cardin. No more,” the girl stated impassively.

It all happened in seconds, but my would-be harasser was groaning on the floor in pain.

I sat down, trying to sink into my seat, anything to not be noticed.

A blue-ish haired boy, one of Cardin’s friends, vaulted over the table at her, but the girl was already moving to intercept.

She pivoted around his flying kick, revealing that her other arm was missing from above the elbow, and struck his knee with the hilt of the butter knife while her attacker was still mid-leap.

The boy flew past her and landed in an awkward limping stumble, his hand massaging the point where the hilt had struck him.

The girl didn’t even look as her arm snapped out and grabbed the back of the boy’s collar with two fingers. She yanked the limping boy backward and tossed him into the person-shaped hole and onto Cardin.

A mohawked boy used his own lunch tray and made a large sideways swipe at the girl, missing my face by inches.

The faint gleam of a gray Aura surrounded the girl’s butter knife as she attacked the tray rather than block or dodge.

The blade pierced through the thin metal and bit into the Aura of the boy’s hand, forcing him to let go of the tray with one hand mid-swing, canceling most of its momentum.

The girl followed through with her stab, her arms piercing through the tray, and slammed the blunt tip of the knife into the boy’s stomach.

Pale green Aura strained against the blow, sending him staggering back, his breath knocked out.

I could already tell that the girl was slower than the boys, but she seemed to know exactly how they were going to attack and moved almost before they did.

Something painfully slapped the back of my ears and the girl abruptly leaned backward. 

A final boy with sandy hair, the last member of what was probably Cardin’s team, had gone for a jumping tackle over me that she easily dodged.

He landed behind her in a handstand and flipped back onto his feet. A low angry growl hummed in his throat.

Now the mysterious girl was flanked, the boy with the mohawk at her back while the other boy was in front of her.

Still, the girl’s mask of stony irritation didn’t crack.

I made out the looks of horror and disbelief of every other student watching the fight, taking note of one girl with short orange hair at the table opposite mine that seemed to be… cheering?

The mohawk boy charged forward to try and grab her while the other boy went for a strong kick at her stomach.

At the last moment, the girl simply stepped away from the table and pivoted to face me.

Our eyes met as the boy delivering the kick faltered to avoid hitting the mohawk boy, but momentum carried him forward and they collided. 

Their heads banged together in a resounding whack that made me cringe. 

The mohawk boy dropped while the last boy staggered backward. 

There was no disdain or judgment in the eyes of the girl, but there was an intensity in them that wouldn’t let me look away.

I couldn’t back away into my seat any further, but I tried.

“This isn’t your fault, remember that,” she said to me before turning toward the last boy.

She kicked the back of his knee and shoved him face-first toward the undamaged spot beside me. 

She pinned his left arm against his back with a knee and reached around the boy with the knife she still somehow held. The broken tray was still around her arm, which may have been funny if not for the tension in the air.

“We’ll fucking get you for this you—” the pinned boy started before he suddenly froze.

I traced the path of the girl’s arm, eyes widening as I saw how the knife was pressed against the boy’s manhood. 

She leaned into her knee and pressed the boy harder onto the table. 

She spoke right into his ear, iron in her voice. My ears were the only reason I could pick up on the conversation.

“I already told Cardin about this, Dove. I told him he gets one warning, and that he had better tell his team the same. I know he didn’t, so I’ll let you be the one to inform Sky and Russel, as well as _remind_ Cardin. No bullying. No name-calling or any of your racism shit. I don’t care about the reason. Don’t make me have to intervene again, because I _will_ ,” she stated, a fact rather than a promise.

She pushed off him and the boy sagged in relief.

“Do better, Team CRDL. We might be fighting together in the future and I don’t want your childish antics to get in the way of that.” She stood and surveyed the rest of the room. “Though, as none of the other upcoming ‘defenders of the realm’ did anything, I honestly can’t say who is more pathetic in all this,” she called out firmly, loud enough for everyone to hear.

She was gone before anyone responded, knife still in hand.

All eyes tracked the tall girl as she walked out of the room. No one dared to break the silence in case the girl’s attention moved to them.

Just like that, it was all over. It had all happened so fast, I doubted more than a minute had passed.

The whimpers and groans of Team CRDL sounded around me. 

Cardin and the one I guessed was Sky slowly clambered from their hole in the table beside me. Dove slapped Russel a few times to try and wake him before picking him up like a sack of potatoes.

No one said anything as the boys shuffled out of the cafeteria, the opposite way the girl had gone, their grunts of pain and muttered swears vanishing as the door closed behind them.

I sat petrified on a small section of untouched bench, the battle having smashed and marked both sides of the area beside me.

Finally, all of their eyes turned back to me.

My mouth tried to sputter something, but only empty air came out under the weight of all their stares. Cheeks flushed, still clutching the empty tray like a liferaft.

I bowed my head and fled, feeling their gazes drill into me.

I curled my ears harder, enough for them to become numb. I didn’t want to hear their chattering whispers, not this time.

* * *

**Slide**

_Glynda Goodwitch_

“Are you aware of the incident that happened in the cafeteria today?” I asked briskly, making long strides toward Ozpin’s desk.

“If you mean the fight between Taylor Hebert and team CRDL, then yes. I believe the entire student body is aware of it as well,” he said.

The incident was a flagrant disregard for the school’s rules, expectations, and morals. Regardless of whether it was to stop a group of students harassing another, Taylor had gone as far as possibly crippling one of the offending students instead of simply reporting the situation to a teacher.

“I believe a strict and immediate response is in order. We can not have the other students thinking that this kind of behavior is acceptable. I can’t even begin to understand what that girl was thinking.”

“I have my suspicions, but I believe you will have the opportunity to ask her yourself.”

“You’ve already called her here?” The fight had only happened half an hour ago; had Ozpin already called Taylor through her Scroll?

“No. It appears that she decided to come here on her own. Glynda, do you mind taking the lead on this? I have a suspicion that this may unfortunately be a result of my own actions, in a way.” How could Ozpin believe he was in some way responsible for this?

I didn’t get to ask why as the elevator doors opened to reveal Taylor Hebert.

She wore the same blank mask as she did in class and walked with unnatural attention forward. No pausing to survey the room. No guilt or shame either.

Taylor didn’t say anything as she made her way smoothly across the room and sat down in the chair facing Ozpin.

“I assume you have something you’d like to say for yourself?” I doubted there was any defense or excuse that justified her actions.

“No, I don’t.”

“What?” I ground out. 

“I accept my punishment and apologize for the disruption.”

The lack of inflection only emphasized how little she regretted her actions.

“Miss Hebert, do you really expect us to believe you?” I asked.

“It isn’t up to me whether you believe me or not.” Her jaw twitched as she grit her teeth. She was still tense from the conflict, it seemed.

Before I could bite back a deserved scolding, Ozpin spoke up, “Taylor, you do understand why we called—well, why we were going to call you here?” He set his elbows on his desk and intertwined his fingers, hiding his expression.

“A student did the teachers’ job for them in a public way.” She contained it well, but Taylor was furious over the situation. The bullying? The targeting of a Faunus? Or something else?

“You shouldn’t have been the one to interfere at all,” I stated. That was the duty of the faculty.

“Then, why _did_ I need to step in?” Taylor bit out.

“You _did not_ have to step in nor should you have. Regardless of Team CRDL’s previous actions, your response of _assault_ and _battery_ ”—she didn’t understand exactly how much trouble she was in—“was absolutely not the answer. If you had informed one of the staff, _we_ would have addressed the issue of Team CRDL’s behavior,” I snapped. 

She turned away and razor-focused on Ozpin. “I understand that we go to a combat school and the students should be expected to deal with something like this on their own.” Her tone was like cold iron. “They are learning to fight for their lives after all. But, tolerating people like Cardin shouldn’t be the way you go about it.” 

I held back from shouting at what the girl was implying. “Young lady”— _the sheer disrespect—_ “we are the administration here. We are the ones who are in charge of deciding the punishments for our students so that they may be properly guided to becoming upstanding Huntsmen, _not you_.”

“Slapping a bully on the wrist for each bit of torment is fine _if it works_ . Team CRDL have been ‘reprimanded’ several times just in the last two weeks between four different teachers. Disruption, bullying, racial comments.” _She’s been keeping track?_ “Nothing has changed. Yet, you let them run rampant. I’m guessing as an example for the other students of what not to do, antagonists to fight against, shared experiences to rally them closer towards their own teams. You’re _using_ them to better the other students. Unless you’re all incompetent.”

Despite how infuriated I was over her jab at us and her attitude, I worried for the girl. Her expression never changed. A practiced mask that never left her face.

Children—no, _people_ shouldn’t act like that. Bottled emotions contained so thoroughly that even her reactions were almost gone. 

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, his eyes almost hidden behind his glasses, but I caught their melancholy gleam. He wore a similar look when he talked about his past failures, his guilt.

He didn’t correct her.

“Is this what you wanted to be doing during your time at Beacon?” Ozpin asked solemnly. 

“It needed to be done. Apparently, like the staff, none of the other students could be trusted to do it.” 

A dulled thud hit the glass. A few rapier wasps swirled angrily through the air, never touching, but doing the wasp equivalent of snarling at each other. I made a note to get the staff to check and see if there was a hive on the clocktower. 

This wasn’t helping her or us. “Miss Hebert, you saw one instance where you reacted before the staff was made aware of the incident and took it as inaction on our part?”

“...No one else went, nothing changed before, and no one was doing anything. Was I supposed to let that girl be bullied for however long it took to get a teacher?”

“Yet, if you thought you absolutely _had_ to intervene, you still didn’t ask anyone to call for a staff member. Then, you could have attempted to de-escalate the situation until they arrived,” I stated. 

“No. I didn’t.”

“Why?”

Seconds creeped by. A chance for Taylor to collect her thoughts and for the tension to ease slightly.

Taylor did the opposite. Instead of slowly relaxing, she shifted into a tense, ready posture _from_ a more relaxed position. Then, she corrected herself into ease before the cycle repeated. 

“I hadn’t thought of it.”

“That’s it?”

“Since there had been attempts to curb their behavior before, I assumed there wouldn’t be one now.” A deflection, but there wasn’t a hint of what she was avoiding. “So, I provided a solution. I regret how I did it, but not that it was done.”

I sighed heavily. There was no getting through to her. “You aren’t sorry for what you did because you got the result you wanted, even though you undermined the school’s authority, our judgment, and left grievous injuries on others.”

“Can we move onto whatever you plan on having me do?” she asked curtly, like we were wasting her time.

_So that was it then?_

“Plan on having you do?” Ozpin asked incredulously.

“Yes, for the ‘punishment’,” Taylor stated.

“Then you at least accept that you were at fault?” I asked sternly. 

“I understand that there will be a consequence.”

My eye twitched. She was okay with how things went because she got what she wanted. Like the scales were balanced somehow.

“Fine. If you don’t care about the punishment at all, then you’ll have no trouble with the severity at which we will set it?” I stated more than asked.

“I won’t, because I know the type of person Ozpin is,” she said.

“Do you?” Ozpin asked curiously.

“Knowing you, I’ll be placed on a mission with team CRDL once they have recovered. Some kind of exercise in trust and working together through experience.”

Ozpin frowned. “Am I that predictable?”

“In a way, yes.”

Ozpin and I shared a look, because we knew she was right. 

“…You are correct. Exactly so. May I ask how you came to this conclusion?” Ozpin hid the lower half of his face behind interwoven hands as he spoke.

“You have a penchant for solving multiple problems at once. You’d be testing how I did in the field, making Team CRDL and me work together against a threat, verifying if I’ll start another fight in a more isolated situation where we are supposed to be acting professionally, among several other objectives. Including completing whatever mission you sent us on,” she listed methodically. It would have been impressive if not for the context.

“Very astute, Miss Hebert.” The slight amusement in his tone fell flat under the tension in the air. “We will send you the details regarding your punishment, which _will_ include a written apology to Team CRDL,” he stated.

“Professor,” I cut in. “I believe a stricter reprimand is warranted.” I didn’t like to question Ozpin’s decisions in front of others, but I couldn’t believe an apology and a mission were all that Taylor was to be subjected to, especially considering her attitude in this meeting. 

Ozpin gave me a soft smile. “Do not worry, I am also aware of the type of person Taylor is.” The girl in question stilled with a slight tilt of her head. “I doubt there will be a repeat of her actions today,” he said knowingly, nodding to Taylor.

Taylor blinked in confusion before nodding her head in acknowledgment. An agreement between the two? 

The massive gears above our heads turned and briefly blocked the lights in an ever-moving pattern.

“Is there anything else?” Taylor asked.

“No, I believe that will be all,” Ozpin answered.

We watched Taylor stand and head towards the elevator.

“Taylor,” Ozpin called out, and she pivoted around just in front of the elevator doors. “We aren’t your enemy.”

“I understand.” In many ways, I didn’t think she did. Or she had a twisted way of showing it. “I just don’t know if you’re allies either.” With that, Taylor disappeared behind the sliding doors.

As soon as Taylor was gone, Ozpin let out a deep sigh. “I apologize, Glynda. Her distrust greatly exceeded my initial assessment of her character. Not to mention its direction, toward Beacon and the staff more collectively than just at myself. There is a story behind it, more than one, and none of them seem happy.” 

“I noticed some perturbing habits as well.”

“I am somewhat relieved though. I had been worried that she would appear on the opposite side of the battlefield.”

“You thought she was a spy?” I hadn’t heard anything like that! Nor suspected it!

“No. Well, there was the possibility for her to be a spy for whatever group had built that mysterious backpack she was found with, but I currently doubt that, considering the amount of attention she has drawn to herself. What I was worried about was whether she would move against us due to some of the experiences we have been forced to put our students through,” Ozpin said sadly.

“It is a harsh world, and we are training them to battle monsters and things of myth. Such methods are necessary,” I stated.

“I agree, but it doesn’t make them any less tragic.”

We let a moment of silence give weight to the words.

“I still think we should give her a more severe punishment,” I stated sharply.

“It would be counterproductive. Cutting Taylor’s access to any of the school facilities would just hamper her in working with the other teams. Likewise with taking up her time with detention, which would be worthless as a punishment to her. She expected to be punished, so anything we could do to try and curb her behavior would just be something she’d accept rather than a lesson. Also, being harsher would simply justify her idea of putting us on the opposite side of the battle rather than beside her.”

It was true. There had been a noticeable improvement amongst the teams that Taylor advised. Knowledge for dealing with unique and tense situations outside of what could be taught in class. Coordination with abilities and Semblances that had been as unorthodox as they were effective.

Still, I did not like that she would not let us help her. “What are we going to do about that girl?” I asked wearily. 

“After what Taylor just said, do you honestly believe she would stop if we told her to?”

“No. Not at all.”

Ozpin swirled the cocoa in his mug, watching the vortex of the overly sweet drink in thought. “What do you think of Taylor?”

As a student, she was excellent. High grades and trained furiously hard. Always working towards something. As a person…

“If she was less… hostile when confronting any issues she was against, then she would be an ideal student.”

“Really? I saw a lot of myself in her actually. Which was both incredibly concerning, as well as comforting…”

“Professor?”

“Glynda, I would like you to be the one to accompany Taylor and Team CRDL for their mission. Your opinion on how she is in the field will help dictate what happens next. Taylor might be someone who could help us.”

“Help us? You don’t mean to say that you want to—”

“Potentially. With her exploits in the school and more specifically, out of school, she has proven to be the type of person best suited for what we need.”

I nodded but didn’t wholly agree.

Taylor was astute and resourceful, but I didn’t think she had the personality of someone who should be trusted. 

Then again, any aid in the coming battles might be necessary, regardless of the cost.

* * *

**Curtain Call**

_Ciara_

“They— _we_ gravitate towards conflict,” I answered.

“Is that your reason for your—no. You had been talking about resolution before,” Jessica said, her mind tracing the thread of logic.

“Indeed.”

“Is conflict the way you plan to resolve your choice?”

“All interactions are conflicts in a way.”

“Only if you treat them as such.”

“Believing one thing of another does not change its nature.”

“Believing can change one’s perspective, subjectively speaking; it will change how one perceives another’s nature.”

“Opinions do not displace fact.”

“But they can replace other opinions.”

“You’re saying that I am focusing too much on others’ opinions and not my own,” I stated, contemplating the notion.

“Perhaps, though that would admittedly be my opinion. It is up to you to decide.”

Choice, something I had never considered my own. It was a labyrinth that stole, gave, and left many to wander. 

The silence was a deference to me, a sign of respect until I deigned to retort or speak. 

However, time was limited, and Jessica glanced at her notes, a tell of her desire to move on. I nodded my permission.

“I hear you’ve been granted periods of leave,” she said. I readjusted in the chair, not quite used to my aged body yet. “Have you any idea of what you might do?”

“None.” 

Many suggested rest, but rest would wait. There were matters to address as the world settled. Loose threads needed to be cut or… tied. With the diseased and broken Agents emerging, time was what I would give, as time was what we would soon lose. 

“How do you feel about having time off?”

“An unnecessary waste.” 

The Craven One poured into the space beside my seat, like fog filling a container. Dark brown and yellow strips of rags draped to cover any path of skin. He twitched, his gaze and fingers unable to settle into place for long. 

He clicked his teeth three times, and I frowned. He heard no immediate dangers on the horizon.

I could not tie knots to what was unraveling until the threads started to fray. Until then, there was nothing to do, no role to play. Frustrating. 

Jessica acknowledged the Craven One with a nod before continuing, “Every human needs a chance to relax.” I stifled a chuckle. To think that term would be used in my regards. 

“I hear and understand.”

Something in my tone tilted her head. “...You’re surprised they would give you that much freedom.” An observation rather than a question, presumptuous but possibly true.

“...Perhaps,” I admitted, a sign of my own change in itself. 

“This is your second chance, Ciara. It is what you make it.”

No clock or timer needed to chime; we knew our time together was up.

“I look forward to hearing what you decide to do. I believe I’ll see you again in two weeks.”

We gave our farewells and parted. Her to another string of cases, more individuals twisted or changed. Me, to my room at the Warden’s base to… nothing.

A second chance was an odd thing. A betrayal of who one once was, a way forward, a change to one’s role. I was still unsure what it is I was supposed to do with it.

How does one define their role outside of the script they were given? When the play is done? When they no longer wish to be that character?

The Queen of Faeries was gone, just as my God was dead. 

Though, the Longinus that killed him lived, without her ability to lift another spear, and the individual to whom I had bestowed the offer presented to me, a second chance, more deservingly.

The Administrator, perhaps the only individual capable of conversation that had been as close to her Agent as I. How had she handled her new role? 

Perhaps counsel from a peer was what I needed? From the only one who knew what it was to merge with their Agent, even if they’d had that fusion ripped asunder, while mine still filled my vision like blood. 

Shadows stirred at the thought, as they always did. Some jolted to awareness, wary and ready. Some clenched and growled. Most fled.

The Administrator was known to many of my shadows. 

Though, two shades stood out amongst them. 

The Mad Bomber, who only held grudges and the last vestiges of her perceived aptitude. The Administrator had insulted her pride and fought against her crusade. 

The other was the Dark Dweller. He did not whisper petty threats like the Mad Bomber, but he had stepped forward from the crowd, for reasons I was unsure if he still knew. 

Regardless, one could not walk without a destination forever. 

I allowed the whisper of a laugh to escape me, only to revel in the taste of the foreign sound even after it ended. 

A reunion of those still surviving but not living. Vagabonds that boasted nobility until their duties were done. 

Perspective between two who could only find it in one another. 

There were threats in the distance, and I needed to know what my role should be when I met them.

**Interlude Friends?? End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, Sigravig, ccstat, Chris C, Majigah, garneredAcrimony, *takes breath*, Orbital Oracle, Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence (Enop), and Weird Caster for their help beautifying this thing. Lots of help from lots of people, and I love each of their faces, so you should too. Or else.
> 
> Mirror:  
> For the description of RWBY’s dorm room, I used images from a RWBY game that I believe was developed without Roosterteeth’s permission in China, but it does have a level of personality that the early RWBY animation budget didn’t allow for. 
> 
> If you are wondering, yes, Taylor cheats on her tests. A couple of books in Braille of the subject stashed somewhere and BAM, turn any test into an open-book one.
> 
> Beacon gives out an allotment of funds to students depending on their performance and such, for weapon upkeep, ammo, maintenance, etc. Not stated in canon, but I think it makes sense.
> 
> Yes, Ruby has a diary. She offers to let Weiss read it if she wants, she says everything in it comes true. Not magically, just hope fulfillment stuff. It’s from the manga which I guess we’ll be covering some of the events from there.
> 
> Ruby does beat everyone else in one subject with a consistent 100% grade, and that’s Weapon Crafting and Upkeep, taught by Professor Harold Mulberry. He’s mentioned in RWBY: After the Fall, but that’s it. He probably won’t be showing up in this fic.
> 
> A little bit of Weiss racism showing, or more like Weiss grouping all Faunus together with the White Fang. Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence (Enop) had some amazing insight for Weiss’s character in this one. To butcher Enop’s words, Weiss is more of a ‘hates the White Fang because of her past and doesn’t trust the Faunus around her because of all the White Fang attacks’ rather than a straight racist (not that it still isn’t technically racist, just not racist racist). 
> 
> Hunting for Shadows:  
> Irvin is an iguana Faunus for those who - oh wait no one cares. Irvin’s wife, Malva, knows all about his White Fang history. Also, Irvin means green water and malvas are flowers, so the kid is a green plant! I’m so clever. Definitely didn’t realize that after naming them.
> 
> This one was originally going to just be more of Blake’s thoughts but evolved into her doing things. 
> 
> This is a Blake who was left to delve deeper into researching the White Fang’s actions without being stopped by her team since they aren’t really friends right now. Plus, with a more extreme White Fang in Vale, it’s pushing her even more. She sometimes just spends her nights in town instead of going back to the dorm, that kind of thing. 
> 
> Bystanders:  
> This was originally a part of a Taylor chapter, then it was going to be Nora, but it ended up as Velvet. Nora will be a future interlude… pretty far in the future (sorry).
> 
> I don’t like the Jaunedice arc, but there are too many important character moments to just ignore, so I’m covering it as fast as I can.
> 
> Cardin did have a plan to get back at Taylor, but didn’t get the chance to enact it; that’s not to say that he won’t still do something though…
> 
> Normally, anyone on Team CRDL would beat Taylor in a fight, especially with weapons. They are good enough to get entered into the Vytal festival above all the other teams. Technically, that means they’re the fourth best team at Beacon, after CFVY, RWBY, and JNPR (Not in that order precisely, but you get the idea). Taylor won through surprise and using CRDL’s bad coordination against them. Two of them didn’t even have their Auras actively up before they were taken out. 
> 
> Slide:  
> I think I got this scene to click now. At least, better than before. Glynda is very much a stern ‘learn-because-I-care-about-your-future’ kinda deal. 
> 
> Curtain Call:  
> Ciara is hard to write. Ward made it easier, kinda… not really. 
> 
> This story probably won’t bring in other Worm characters, but Ciara was pretty involved in Taylor’s ending. While elements of Worm will be in play, other characters besides Ciara won't. Also, I needed something from Taylor's past to trigger her a reaction/response from the ghost of her past. In this case, Ciara was the perfect candidate that, ghosts and all, and she is also struggling with her own demons moving forward after everything.


	15. Interlude: Friends???

* * *

**Just Words**

_Jaune_

I shifted nervously in my seat. There were bruises on my bruises, but that was nothing new for Taylor’s exercises. For me, at least.

Taylor reached into the hat she borrowed from… I didn’t remember his name, and pulled out another slip.

“...Alabaster.” Taylor always hesitated on his name for some reason. 

The white-haired boy walked over to this round’s group of participants in the middle of the practice arena.

The exercise was simple. Between ten teams, eight random participants were chosen and separated into two groups for one-on-one fights.

The winner of each fight was decided by whoever hit the other first—not great for sparring, but the exercise was more about choosing who to help after you win.

We had a total of five seconds to decide which teammate to help, so, as Taylor had explained it, the whole idea was about battlefield awareness. We had to watch for who was dangerous and who needed help because we weren’t entirely familiar with our teammates’ or our opponents’ skills.

Except, I had lost _every_ round I went in. Every. One.

Twelve times I had been called up so far, and twelve times I had sat back down after being hit within thirty seconds of the scenario starting. That was only half a minute!

I thought I would have at least lasted like, double that!

“Pyrrha,” Taylor called out and the participants flinched. From what I had seen, Pyrrha was the ultimate practice in learning to stall your opponent or dodge. Not that she hadn’t ended up fighting four at once one round… and winning. 

Pyrrha didn’t really need the practice, she was amazing after all, but whenever her name was called she smiled, so I guessed she enjoyed it.

I sighed at the memory, because I had a front-row seat after being beaten almost immediately. 

This Huntsman stuff was harder than I thought it was.

I held my breath as Taylor pulled another name. “Onyx.” I sagged slightly in relief.

Only two names left for the last round of the day. 

The teams were only really required to do a certain amount of hours with Taylor’s extra practices for the marks in our Tactics and... something class. Hours that all ten teams here had already fulfilled. We kept coming because the scenarios were a real change of pace, and useful.

I knew the best way to handle a building that was on fire now! Like a proper Huntsman would. It was pretty cool. 

As soon as the slip of paper peeked from the hat, dread ached along with my protesting muscles.

The series of creases, the slight crinkle on one of the edges; all too familiar.

I tried to stand up but couldn’t muster the effort. I just… didn’t want to have everyone give me the opposite look they gave Pyrrha. The opposing team would smile at the easy win, while my team would either be frustrated or show half-hearted smiles when I looked their way.

I sucked in a breath, waiting for my name, but it didn’t come. 

Taylor had scrunched up my paper in her fist and was already grabbing another one to replace it. Her expression didn’t show a hint of what she had done.

I was relieved but… did Taylor think I couldn’t do it too? 

It hurt, a confirmation of my failure. 

No. What was I doing?!

I knew I kept losing, but if I didn't do this, then why did I forge the papers to come to Beacon in the first place?

I stood up with forced energy and walked over to Taylor. “Um, Taylor?”

She turned and ahhhh—how does a stare make you freeze like that?

I cleared my throat, puffed my chest out, and brought out the best Arc confidence I could. “Taylor, I think you pulled my name?” 

She stared flatly. “No. I didn’t.” _What?!_ “Mavi, you’re up.” 

My mouth hung open as Taylor picked out the teams then paired off everyone with their opponents. 

I followed after her as she cleared the arena. “Uh, but, my name, on the slip, I saw you pull it.”

She sighed through her nose. “I did, but there wasn’t much point in having you participate again, Jaune.” She seemed angry with me—no, more… annoyed? What had I done?

“But why?”

“Another round wouldn’t help you or anyone else.”

“But Taylor, I can do this—”

“Nothing has changed from the last times, Jaune.”

“I know I can—”

“Your feelings don’t suddenly make up for your lack of training.” Ow, that one stung.

“Look, I know I’m a bit behind everyone else in terms of fighting…” She glared the flattest look I had ever seen. “Okay, a lot behind, but I won’t get any better if I don’t practice.”

Her flat look spread into a dubious one. “Yes, you do need to practice. You just haven’t been.”

“What do you mean? I’ve been to all the classes and stuff.”

“All of which require you to have the basics of combat down.”

“Well, yeah, but they haven’t taught us that yet.”

“Jaune, _you_ need to be the one to learn it. Get a tutor.”

I froze, shocked and hurt. “...You think I need help?” She didn’t think I could do it on my own? 

She scowled, a scary contrast to her usual blank expression. I hoped Ren’s face didn’t contort into something terrifying like this. “Look at Pyrrha, right now,” she snapped.

I followed Taylor’s pointing finger to see my partner, shield up, blocking a hail of gunfire from… one of those guns that fired a lot of bullets really quickly. 

She was amazing, someone who deserved a way better partner than me. 

“Now, what is she doing?” Taylor asked.

“Blocking the bullets?” 

“Look at her stance, how she holds the shield, where her weapon is.”

“Uh okay. Her knees are bent. The shield is up. Her weapon in her hand…”

Taylor sighed, and I flinched. “Her stance is balanced, able to move but strong enough to hold against the gunfire. She’s shifted herself so that most of her body is low and behind her shield for maximum coverage. Her weapon is ready to strike. Pyrrha is your partner, Jaune, and probably the best fighter in the school. Why haven’t you asked her to teach you?”

Pyrrha wouldn’t understand. She was already great. If I learned from her, wasn’t I just leeching off her skill instead of being able to do it myself?

I didn’t want to be a fake, or a leech, or someone on the sidelines. I wanted to be the hero!

I had to do this myself.

“Look, if I can’t do it myself, then what was the point? What good am I if I can’t catch up on my own?” Some people glanced over as my voice raised.

“So, you want to be better, but you don’t want help doing it?”

“Well, yes—” 

“Stop being an idiot, Jaune.”

My whole body tensed. Taylor looked like she did when she marched up to Cardin and kicked his butt for bullying that girl. 

However, instead of being pathetically relieved that the one being bullied wasn’t me, I was scared I was going to end up more like Cardin. Taylor was normally imposing, but being on the receiving end was way worse. 

“What’s your goal here at Beacon?” Her tone held me like chains. 

“To b-become a Huntsman,” I squeaked out.

Nora leapt down from the bleachers to the edge of the arena where we were. “Whatcha talkin…” Nora stopped, then looked between us, before she settled on me with tears at the corners of her eyes. “I’ll never forget you.” She saluted me and left. 

Taylor continued, ignoring Nora’s interruption. “If that’s your goal, then why aren’t you on your way to becoming one then? You don’t want help and won’t use the resources around you, so you must have found a way to get better yourself, and you must be practicing religiously to catch up—though I haven’t seen any results that would suggest that.” 

Why had Taylor bothered to beat Cardin up when she was so good at killing with her words?

“Well, I’m, uh, still working out the kinks…?” I found less energy and fewer words to defend myself.

I had _thought_ I was getting better, that was what Beacon was for anyway… but I was still getting beaten up and losing my fights. Something _had_ to have changed from the beginning of the year, right?

Taylor was unimpressed. “So, it’s about hurting your pride then.”

“It’s not about _pride,_ it’s about, well—”

“What?” she cut in, a prompt like the lash of a whip.

“It’s about being able to do it for myself!” I blurted out. “To prove to myself and everyone. It’s…” I sighed, defeated. It sounded so lame out loud. “It’s about self-worth, okay. I want to be able to do this…”

She stayed silent for a time, the practice battles raging in the background.

“So, you won’t have any self-worth in _actually_ being able to fight? In being a competent Huntsman? In _protecting_ your team?”

“Of course I would. What’s that got to do with it?”

“When you’re out in the field, and your team gets hurt or killed protecting you because you weren’t skilled enough, are you still going to say that keeping your pride was worth it? That this sad attempt to claim some self-worth instead of accomplishing your dream was worth it?”

“What—no—I…” I hadn’t thought of that, of what it might mean for my team.

“Here’s the choice, Jaune; you either accomplish what you want, or you hold on to this misguided need for self-gratification and never become a real Huntsman.” She didn’t spare a glance as she walked away, straight toward the group of participants just as Pyrrha finished off the last person.

I watched numbly as Taylor went over everyone’s choices. How she was able to keep track of everyone, even while talking to me, was a mystery. I should have been listening, but I couldn’t focus, still wrapped up in what Taylor had said.

I wanted to be the hero, just like every Arc I had been told about growing up. To realize the dream I had pictured when I had secretly taken Crocea Mors off the mantle to play with as a kid.

But could I do it? Especially by myself? 

Could ‘comic relief’ Jaune measure up on his own?

But, more importantly, did it matter? 

We were literally being taught by another student right now, so what difference would it make if I asked for help beyond that? 

I slapped my forehead. All the tension bled away, leaving the realization of how much of an idiot I was. 

Pyrrha had even offered to help before, now that I thought about it. 

Was it really just that easy?

“Hello… Jaune?”

“Huh? Oh!” I almost jumped in the air as I suddenly realized Pyrrha was standing beside me. 

Most of the others had filed out, were helping tidy things, or chatting.

“Are you okay?” Pyrrha asked.

“Uh, yes, well, no—I mean, can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course, Jaune. Anything you need.” She smiled.

“I was wondering—if it’s okay with you, that is—if you could help me with some combat stuff? The basics, I mean.” My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. 

She beamed. “Yes, I would love that—uh, enjoy that, I mean. Yes.”

“Thanks, Pyrrha. Really.”

“It’s no problem…” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear almost nervously for some reason.

“Perfect.” Taylor walked in, not looking up from her Scroll. “Pyrrha, send me a text when he’s got his blocking down. I need someone to help Colt understand that berserk, all-out attacking isn’t the only solution.” That didn’t sound good.

“Uh, yes. I will.” Wait, what? Pyrrha, why?

“Jaune, Canna is also doing some tutoring for Dust usage, mostly because she finds explaining it a good way to study, so I’ll send you the times for those.”

“I don’t know, Taylor. I still need to catch up with all my class stuff—”

“Ask Weiss if you need more technical clarification. Just don’t expect her to full-on tutor you. Ren and I do Aura meditation in the mornings, which you can join us for.”

“I don’t know If I’ll be—”

“I have some other suggestions that I’ll text you later. Goodnight, Jaune, and I’ll see you tomorrow for tea, Pyrrha.”

Pyrrha waved Taylor goodbye.

“I’m going to die,” I muttered.

“At least we’ll be there with you when you do?” Pyrrha said playfully, but it sounded questioning.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said with a thumbs-up while my head sagged to stare weakly at my feet.

Pyrrha smiled, the same smile from whenever her name was called, so maybe it wasn’t all that bad. 

* * *

**Finding another Shadow**

_Blake_

My Semblance pushed me out of the place my clone occupied, flinging me up and over the edge of the roof.

“We saw the figure going this way!” I heard from the alley below.

“You two, circle around. Qing, Roz, down that way. Suspect spotted at area 43-A. Circle and entrap. I repeat, circle and entrap. We’re not going to let another White Fang member get away.”

I heard a, “Hoo-rah!” from multiple voices from the woman’s mic.

I didn’t have time to try and explain myself. The authorities wouldn’t trust a Faunus caught skulking around a suspected White Fang warehouse anyway.

At least, it _used_ to be a place where they held rallies. Any gatherings had stopped with the White Fang’s sudden radical activities.

That hadn’t stopped the VPD from staking out the building, to my misfortune.

To make things worse, I hadn’t been able to find anything on the White Fang’s plans or current location. The only things they had left behind were banners that had once represented equality for Faunus, instead of a rallying cry for criminals.

Gambol Shroud bit into the concrete of the large building across from me as I jumped off another roof.

The night air flew past me as I swung from the ribbon attached to my weapon, letting my Aura fill and strengthen the material to hold my weight. As I reached the apex of my swing, I pulled Gambol Shroud back to me, catching it in the air.

Flashlight beams scoured the surrounding rooftops. VPD Bullheads hummed in the distance as they approached.

As I fell, I pushed off from another clone, changing trajectory into the alley below, just in time to avoid the flashlights shining over where I would have landed.

I pivoted my feet forward to plant onto the wall as I dropped from the sky and pushed off to land in a fierce roll across the dirty, wet pavement.

The wall was my support as I fought to catch my breath, only for the ringer of my Scroll to go off.

“Damn it!” I cursed as I scrambled to get it out.

Yang, again. 

I turned my Scroll off completely. 

Fatigue dragged my eyelids down, and I teetered from lack of sleep.

I was so tired.

_“I’m only asking you to get some rest!”_

_“I don’t have time!”_

_She didn’t understand._

_“You’re just wearing yourself down! You’re gonna destroy yourself at this rate!”_

_“This isn’t something that I can just take my time on!”_

_She didn’t understand. Couldn’t._

_People were dying._

_The White Fang were out there, attacking people, stealing Dust, and preparing something. All with no regard for the lives of those they robbed! Yet, no one had been able to do anything about it._

_“I’m just worried about you, Blake!”_

_“Look,” I said while bringing my volume back down to comfortable levels. “I appreciate what you're trying to do. The thing about you searching for your mom, sharing that story must not have been easy, and I agree with what you’re saying. But,_ this _is different. I can’t afford to slow down now!”_

 _“Will you at least just tell me what’s going on?! You’re my partner, Blake. We’re_ supposed _to have each other’s back!” she shouted while her eyes flared red with emotion._

_She couldn’t help and hated it._

_It wasn’t like I wanted to keep secrets, but telling them meant revealing I was a Faunus… I didn’t want to know how they’d react, or how they would treat me afterward._

_“I will, Yang. Just not right now.” I didn’t sound confident, and it showed in Yang’s reaction._

_“Sure, you will,” Yang grumbled sarcastically. “I just_ — _” She stopped with a shake of her head and just shrugged her shoulders. “Fine,” she bit out. “Do whatever.” She stormed out of the empty classroom._

_It was sweet of her to share her story, especially when I wasn’t sharing, and I did see some parallels between us in it._

_But the White Fang were acting now, and someone needed to stop them. Not only that, but I wanted to know why. The thefts, the Dust, working with humans. Why?_

_I was doing this for her, for my team, for every person and every Faunus._

_Becoming a Huntress was so that I could help the Faunus in a way that I couldn’t in the White Fang. That wouldn’t matter if the White Fang kept going as they were._

_I would make it up to them. Someday._

_After I had dealt with the White Fang._

_They’d only end up being hurt if they were with me. I didn’t want that to happen._

A loud echo from the streets broke my fatigue. 

No time for rest or regrets. I needed to go.

Flickers of light shone down the alleys and from the roofs.

I was trapped.

Trespassing, possible relation to the White Fang, running from the police, and more. Doing all that while being a Faunus, especially after everything the White Fang had done—they’d never let me go.

Expulsion from Beacon.

My team would only ever see a criminal who abandoned and betrayed them.

The White Fang’s rampage would continue—

A firefly batted against my face, and I flinched away from both the impact and the spiral of consequences my thoughts had fallen into.

The bug, a single light in the dark of the alley, landed on a doorknob of a door so perfectly blended into the darkness of the wall that I hadn’t noticed it, even with my Faunus night vision.

There was a slight click of what sounded like the door unlocking. 

Was someone behind the door? Was it the police?

The approaching voices drew closer, just around the corner.

I didn’t have time to worry about it.

I slipped in the door, but found no one. The building was an extended office space filled with cubicles. No lights, no people, and no signs of recent activity.  
  
 _Who had opened it then?_   
  
I gently closed and relocked the door. 

As I did, my ears caught the faintest clatter against the tile floor.

I spun, Gambol Shroud ready, only to find a spider-roach skittering away.

Nerves twitched at my fingers, but I kept my weapon in hand.

There wasn’t time to investigate whether someone had helped me or if I had just been extremely lucky and my lack of sleep had me hearing things.

I hid under a desk as the VPD flashed lights through the windows. They continued, probably suspecting that I had kept fleeing in the direction I had been previously.

The front door was locked tight. 

There hadn’t been any cameras, and no alarms blared, but I wasn’t sure if breaking the lock would set one off if there were any.

_Should I just stay in here for a while?_

No. When the VPD couldn’t find any evidence of me running, they’d circle back to where I had disappeared and check the adjoining buildings.

I had to keep moving.

Again, I saw a firefly casually pass me, leaving waving trails of light as it dipped and curved in the air.

It spun and twirled, heading toward a window near a large desk, then dived straight down and suddenly appeared on the other side of the glass before vanishing into the night.

I rushed to the window and found it had been left open. I pushed and squeezed out the small opening and onto the street.

Less than a minute later, I was watching the searchlights from a distance. 

I let out a heavy sigh as I sat on the edge of another roof, letting my legs swing freely.

What was I going to do now? That was another lead that had gone nowhere. My _last_ one too.

Then, someone landed on the roof behind me.

I spun into a kneel, Gambol Shroud in its pistol form, and aimed at the intruder— _T_ _aylor?_

Taylor completely ignored the gun and my flabbergasted expression as she walked toward me.

“T-Taylor? What are you doing here?” I asked nervously, lowering my weapon but not sheathing it.

I stepped away as she sat next to where I had been. She patted the spot next to her.

After a moment of hesitation, I cautiously retook my seat.

“Learn anything?” she asked casually.

“What do you mean?”

“From the warehouse?”

“The ware—you followed me?!” I jumped back to a standing position, a finger on the trigger.

“No. I just happened to be there as well. You should at least wear a mask or something if you’re going to be breaking into places.” Her face didn’t change as she casually spoke about breaking and entering. If I was reserved, then Taylor was completely restrained. I knew she wasn’t cold from how she responded to Team CRDL being thugs, but nothing showed behind her mask.

_She was there? How did I not notice her at all? More importantly, why was she there?_

“I didn’t think I would need to,” I said, eyes narrowed at the first-year liaison. 

“Obviously.” 

“Why are you here, Taylor? Are you trying to stop me? Do you want something from me? Why were you at the warehouse at all?” I questioned.

“There are a couple of reasons why. Do you mind sitting down?” I complied begrudgingly. 

I’d seen her fight and was confident I could take her if this was a trap. I hadn’t seen or heard any other backup. But, if she suspected I was connected to the White Fang, I knew what kind of reaction to expect. 

“I…” She frowned, looking contemplative, hesitant. Then the mask was back. “A few years ago, I was in a gang,” she began. “A criminal one.” 

I didn’t know what to say. This felt out of nowhere. Had Taylor remembered her past and I just hadn’t been around to hear about it? Was she trying to empathize with me for having run from the police?

Wait.

She used to be a criminal?

“I hurt a lot of people while I was in it. I had been trying to help people in my city after an attack from... Grimm,” she continued. “My gang had the resources to do it, so I took control of part of the town. We were helping people when others couldn’t, even though we were criminals. We broke multiple laws and even fought against the authorities. At the time, I thought it was the best way to help people.” Her words puttered out at the end, like she was reminiscing.

I sat wide-eyed, fully attentive to her story. I could picture it in my head, but with me in her place.

“I ended up leaving the gang later because I wanted to continue helping people, and I couldn’t do it as a criminal. And now, I know that I should have been better in how I went about things,” she finished. “I wish I had done things differently…”

It was all so similar. But I didn’t understand why Taylor was suddenly telling me this. Especially after finding me running from the police and searching through the warehouse. She hadn’t even asked why I was there looking around—

My mind stopped, and I bolted upward. I took a few shaky steps backward as I glared at her.

“How long?” I demanded.

“Blake—”

“No!” I took a couple of deep breaths before I ground out, “How long have you known?”

“Since the first day of class,” she said calmly from her still-seated position.

She had known for months?!

I tried to say something but stammered out empty air.

“Why didn’t you say anything!” My vision blurred slightly from the angry tears leaking out the sides of my eyes.

“It didn’t seem significant enough to bring up,” she said.

_Not significant?!_

“I’ve been looking into the White Fang’s activities for a while now, Blake.” She had what?! “Do… do you want to help me look for them?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“I—you just… You want me to help? You don’t care that I’m—” My breathing was sporadic as I panicked, chopping up my words as I tried to speak.

“I don’t. Same with how you were in the White Fang,” she cut in.

_She knew._

My hands were on my knees, and I think I started to hyperventilate.

This was too much.

Someone knew my past, my secrets. Maybe even everything I had done.

Now, it was lying out in the open with all the impact of a comment on the weather.

I swayed a little, and Taylor was suddenly beside me. Her hand was on my shoulder, and I unconsciously leaned into it for support.

“I’ve narrowed my search down to the Eastern Commercial District for where Torchwick and the White Fang’s base is.”

“Why? Why are you looking into the White Fang?” I asked accusingly, gaining a bit of coherence after having my fears tossed to the side as seemingly irrelevant.

“We both know they’ve been going too far, Blake,” she stated.

“That’s it? No grudges against Faunus, no hidden agenda?” 

“I… don’t like standing by when I could help. Lots of people, humans and Faunus, are getting caught up in this.” 

“...And what about me. Are you going to... tell anyone?” 

I closed my eyes, ready for the ax to come down.

“That you’re a Faunus? No. Same with your past.”

A surge of warmth flooded down my back and eased the all-consuming tension that I had been holding.

She had known for months, and I hadn’t had the slightest clue. She hadn’t treated me any differently than I would have expected had she thought I was a human. In our brief bouts of small talk about what we were reading and leaving books for the other, I hadn’t felt anything resembling discrimination or malice. Even though she knew I was lying to all of them. I had been so busy that we hadn’t really talked beyond those times, but now everything was painted in a different light.

“I understand wanting to do something to help, fixing mistakes, and even having a goal consume everything else,” Taylor continued. “I’m not here to argue against you doing that. Though, if you aren’t in your best condition, then you might have just ended up failing, even if you had found them.”.

“I-I know, I just—I couldn’t sit around doing nothing.” _Something we have in common, apparently._

Taylor nodded, to herself and to me.

I let her lead me back to where we were sitting.

“So, you were a criminal too?” I asked.

“Yeah, ruled part of a city for a while.” There was almost a hint of pride in her voice, but maybe I imagined it.

“Why didn’t you work with the authorities?” The White Fang couldn’t because of our race, but Taylor didn’t have that problem.

“A lot of reasons. They didn’t want to associate with criminals because of how the public would see it, my issues with others, them being limited in what they were willing to do against the other gangs in the city, etcetera,” she listed.

“Sounds complicated.”

“Most things are.”

I wanted to ask more, to find out the details, to expand on this feeling of… empathy? Shared hardship? But I stopped myself.

I hadn’t shared the details of what I had done, so it wasn’t right if I asked for more from her.

“Back to my question from before, did you find any leads on the White Fang?” Taylor asked.

“No...” I said defeated, my ears pulling my bow down in a droop. “I haven’t been able to find out anything. I have no idea what they’re planning or how to stop them and—” I stopped as I noticed I had slowly been raising my voice. “I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. I’m no closer than I was at the start of school.”

And I was tired, tired—tired of failing, tired of lying, tired of not finding anything. 

“If they’re in the city, I’ll have the location for their base within the month. I’m going after them with or without you. But, I wanted to ask: do you want to help?”

“Yes,” I said immediately.

“Good. That does mean you can get some rest and catch up on school a bit, so you know,” Taylor said.

“But—”

“I can locate their base on my own. There isn’t really anything you can do to help in that. Having you prepare for the eventual raid is more important.”

I guess she was right. If what she was saying was true, then… then there was no need for me to be hunting them like I had been. 

“You, you aren’t lying to me just to make me slow down, right?”

“So, you’re aware you’re being somewhat self-destructive,” she pointed out.

“Yang mentioned it…”

“No, I’m not lying to you. If you want, we can scope out some of the places together if that will ease that worry.”

“I would appreciate that. Not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that—”

“Blake, I understand. Now, come on. We should get back to Beacon before the airships stop running.”

“Taylor,” I blurted out, taking a breath to steady myself. “Thank you,” I said sincerely. 

She nodded and stepped off the edge of the roof to land on the street below.

_This was all too good to be true. There has to be something wrong or false about this._

Taylor _understood_ what it was like to have a criminal past, to want to move on from it, and to want to be better than before.

She knew I was a Faunus and never treated me any differently than someone else. 

Even going as far as to trust me with helping her against the White Fang, all while knowing that I used to be one of them.

I never thought that I would meet someone who just _accepted_ me and my past so easily. 

I wasn’t sure if I could believe that so much could go right in such a small conversation. 

All I knew was that I didn’t hesitate to step off that roof after her.

* * *

**Operation: Party Poppers**

_Ruby_

‘More Guns Would Be Better: An Essay by Ruby Rose’.

_Hmmmm, it doesn’t quite catch the ‘it would make it cooler’, as well as the ‘more guns equals more dead Grimm’ vibe I was going for, but I think it sums it up the best._

With a sigh, I set down my Scroll. The essay was finally ready for me to give it to Taylor. Which meant I could start working on my other important project.

It had been a long time coming but ‘Operation: Party Poppers’ was a go! _Because it’s like ‘party poopers’ but it’s not…_

I made a note to explain the joke to Weiss; she was kinda humor-challenged. Maybe Blake too… but I didn’t know if she didn’t get my jokes or just didn’t laugh. I hadn’t really gotten to talk to her much with everything that she’d been up to, whatever that was. I doubted I could get Taylor to laugh. At least Yang would enjoy it.

But first…

“Weiss, do you mind looking over this for me? I want to make sure it’s ready for me to submit,” I asked, giving a polite bow, my Scroll held out with both hands for her to take.

“We don’t have any papers due right now.” She flashed her patented ‘icy-Weiss stare’. “What is this for?”

“Taylor said I had to do it.” Well, Taylor said I needed it to properly lay out why my reasoning was better than hers, but it still counted.

“I will, _if_ you promise not to gorge on cookies at night when the rest of us are trying to sleep.” 

That was a steep price. I hummed in thought.

“And you have to vacuum up the crumbs so they stop falling onto the floor and my bed!” she added.

“I can definitely do one of those!” I stated enthusiastically.

The Weiss-glare doubled. “I suppose that’s all I can expect.” I nodded cheerfully. “Hand it over, you dolt.” 

I passed my Scroll over. “I’m trying to convince Taylor I’m right, so it needs to be airtight.” It was also another chance to try and talk to Taylor. How could we all be comic-level superheroes together if we never hung out?

“Good luck with that. Taylor is rather unyielding on her stances when it comes to arguments of logic…” She trailed off as she began to read through my essay. “Ruby, what is this?”

“It’s a paper about—”

“I can see what it’s about,” she cut in. “Why did you write such a pointless paper in the first place?”

“It’s not pointless! Taylor wouldn’t accept any of my suggestions for her weapon—”

“Probably for good reason.”

“—but after some… convincing”—I definitely hadn’t latched onto Taylor’s leg until she finally relented—“Taylor told me that if I had logical reasons as to why her weapon design wasn’t as effective as some of the things I wanted to add to the weapon, then she would let me change it.”

“And your idea to do that was with an essay?” she asked incredulously.

“I’ll have you know that I can be authenticate when I want to,” I stated proudly.

“You mean articulate?”

“Gesundheit.”

Weiss’s eye twitched, something she should have looked at since it happened so often, then she sighed. “So, you wrote an essay?” she prompted.

“Yup! I decided that an essay was the best way to address all the points Taylor made as to why she wanted her weapon the way she did, and to prove that she should totally let me put a gun on her sword.” I threw my fist in the air to better show my determination in my righteous quest.

“Well, I approve of your choice.” Aww, she was proud of me.

“Also, Taylorkindatoldmethatapaperwouldbethebestwaytodoit, but that’s not important!” I remained in my heroic stance, fist in the air and foot on an invisible box.

Any approval drained from Weiss and was replaced by a flat look, like, ruler flat… if that ruler was parallel to the ground to show how flat it was.

The seconds ticked by; my pose started to wobble a little. “Will you stop posing and leave me alone to study if I get this done quickly?”

“Yes, and I won’t tell anyone you draw happy doodles on your assignments when you get a hundred percent—”

She clapped her hand over my mouth. _Hehe_ , _she thought I hadn’t noticed._ Her venomous glare sent her message loud and clear. I nodded and returned to a neutral stance. 

“Good. Now let me read this over.”

I shuffled around the room as Weiss read over my paper.

Two minutes went by. Two whole minutes! Weiss was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, but she was super-smart, so shouldn’t she be a super-fast reader too?!

_Ugh, I’m bored! I want to go work on ‘Operation: Party Poppers’ so that it’s ready to pop! Hehehe._

“Wait, this was what Taylor wanted to do for her weapon? Does she realize that nobody uses this design because of how inefficient and dangerous it is to use in combat? It basically leaves you open to attack any time you use it,” Weiss stated as she gestured at the paragraph where I talked about that.

“I know!” Ha! Weiss was on team Ruby! And Team RWBY! “She said it was to make sure that there would be someone who was able to get through an older Grimm’s armor, so we wouldn’t have problems like during the fight against that Deathstalker during the initiation.”

“Well, technically, for whatever team Taylor was working with, it would be beneficial to have someone that could pierce that much armor, and this design would allow for that. The downsides though… It wouldn’t be safe for her at all.”

“That’s what I said! Actually, almost word for word in the third paragraph. We’re so in sync that we’re even starting to think the same things!” I exclaimed happily and hugged her.

 _Okay, you don’t have to look_ that _horrified, Weiss._

She pushed away from my embrace and gathered her composure. “Anyways, you wrote here that Taylor argued that a gun barrel would possibly be damaged or become useless anytime that she activated the weapon, which is true. Your response to that is…” She squinted as though she was having trouble reading the words right. “You wanted to make it so that the barrel separated and acted like a mounted machine gun?”

“It sounds just as cool with you saying it as it does when I say it.” 

Crescent Rose was the only weapon I had designed myself from step one to step… however many it had taken. I had made some suggestions to some of my friends and helped a little with the shift-plates on Yang’s Ember Celica. Beyond Taylor’s plans for what she wanted her weapon to do, I was fully in charge of making the idea reality. I wanted to go all-out and give it my best!

“That would be very heavy and bulky and would be wider than the blade, which would have the gun part get caught any time you cut into something.” She would probably be happy if I told her she sounded just like Taylor had when she made that point.

“I can make it work, and besides, the benefits to a mounted machine gun far outweigh the downsides.”

“Ruby, this paragraph is… just you restating over and over that it would be cooler with a gun.” _In different ways! It’s what I do for my other papers, and I’m doing pretty well!_

“An extremely valid point, in my opinion. Also, having a ranged weapon on hand at all times is factually better than not having one.” I puffed my chest in triumph at my undefeatable logic.

“Couldn’t she just carry another weapon that was ranged?”

“Yes, and that’s Taylor’s plan. But, she would have to switch weapons all the time, and having one arm would make that slower on the battlefield.” I didn’t like to bring up Taylor’s missing limb, but some things were just realistically more difficult with only one arm, and this was one of them.

“But Taylor said she put in her order for a prosthetic arm. She was finalizing the details of it yesterday, in fact.”

I froze. I hadn’t heard about this at all. Had I been too focused on writing this paper for the last three days that I missed it?

“Wait, she told you that she put an order in for a super cool robot arm and _didn’t tell me_?!”

“I could never guess why,” Weiss stated sarcastically.

“I don’t think I like what you are insinuating,” I accused while crossing my arms and puffing my cheeks out.

“Taylor told me explicitly not to mention it to you until after she had ordered it. I believe it was because she didn’t want a ‘bazooka-shotgun-rifle’ for an arm,” Weiss said with a slightly amused smile.

“You may laugh, but I could have made that work… and it would have been really, really cool.” I stopped and tilted my head in thought. “How did you know she ordered it? Taylor doesn’t tell us what she does when she goes into town.” Or maybe that’s just me? No, she didn’t talk with anyone, she just talked especially little with me.

“She told me because she wanted some advice for some Dust integration for it.”

“Oh, oh! Is it because she wants the arm to be able to light on fire—no! How about a rocket fist that shocks its target—wait! Maybe a grappling arm fist, with rockets, that has super sharp fingers and spins so that it drills straight through Grimm.” I acted out each different design, showing off how amazing they would be.

“It isn’t any of those… I think.” _Boo_ . I’d have to get Taylor to tell me later when she got back from… Taylor things? Coaching one of the other teams, training, stuff downtown. What did Taylor do _besides_ school stuff and whatnot? Besides reading, she… drank tea? 

I jumped up onto my bed and began swinging my feet. 

_Well, I’ll just have to keep inviting her to some video game sessions to help her lighten up! She’ll eventually take me up on the offer! Then we can finally talk!_

“Okay, okay. So, that paragraph won’t work,” I continued, focusing back on Weiss. “But the others are still good, right?”

“I will admit that some of your proposals are well-thought-out. I’m… impressed with your level of engineering knowledge when it comes to weapons,” Weiss said, turning her head to hide her expression. “But shouldn’t you have already given this to her? She said she was going to put in her order for fabricating her weapon at the same time as ordering her arm.”

I stared at her for a solid minute.

_Taylor, you tricked me._

“It makes sense considering she has her mission with Team CRDL coming up. She needs a weapon for that,” Weiss added.

“Oh, I had completely forgotten that was this week. Why couldn’t her first mission have been with us? She’s basically part of Team RWBY! Why would they even give missions out as punishments anyway?” I moaned.

“Missions aren’t fun, Ruby. They’re hard work and dangerous. Taylor and Team CRDL will have to work together to accomplish it, and that’s the point. Besides, while it would be nice to have her on the team, she isn’t. Taylor is a liaison for all of the first-year teams, so, in a way, she’s on all of our teams.”

“I know, but Team CRDL are a bunch of jerks! Yeah, Taylor was a bit…” Scary? Super scary? Someone I never wanted to have guilt-trip me? “…violent. But, putting her on a mission with the team she got in a fight with is just asking for trouble!”

“Well… You are right on that. But Professor Goodwitch will be going with them. So I’m positive nothing bad will happen. Besides, Taylor has surely shown she can handle them. You’re the only one in trouble if you think this paper is good though.”

_Oh no. Weiss’s turned to nag mode._

“I just remembered, I have something I have to do, elsewhere. Bye!” 

My Semblance surged, making my body feel like a rush of wind, and I bolted. Rose petals flew past me as I grabbed my binder—which was definitely not Weiss’s—and shot down the hallways.

I heard a faint “Hey!” echo from Weiss.

It was time to start planning.

My new top priority was ‘Operation: Party Popper’!

I _needed_ to have that be successful so that I wouldn’t get left out of something like this. 

Also, so that I could convince Taylor to get an arm-cannon and/or a machine gun sword. Or at least get her to let me make the full blueprint for her ranged weapon instead of just having me create the design she came up with.

Then, we’d finally start hanging out.

_It’s going to be perfect._

* * *

“Everyone, I have an announcement!” I proclaimed to my team and Taylor at the cafeteria.

“What’s up, Ruby?” Yang asked with an eyebrow raised in interest.

“We have a crisis on our hands! Something that we have to fix or else we might lose everything we’ve worked toward!” I continued.

“What is it?” Taylor inquired in a very serious voice, giving me such intense focus that I almost faltered in my speech.

“It is something that has the potential to ruin the rest of our time here at Beacon,” I added ominously.

“Is there a point you’re getting to?” Blake questioned. The bags under her eyes were still heavy, but not as bad as before. I was glad she’d been getting a full night’s rest for the last couple of days.

“A battle so important that I’ve been strategizing for days on how to tackle it,” I all but whispered.

“Will you just spit it out!” Weiss said.

“The problem is, we all have to get to know each other better!” My arm raised and I pointed skyward. “All Weiss does is nag.” My hand came down to point at her before moving to the next person. “Blake is always in the library or in town. I’ve barely even seen her!” Blake looked away, guilty.

At least she was having lunch with us for once. I thought she had been skipping meals to do whatever it was she did, and had told her where my secret stash of cookies was in the dorm if she was hungry; after she promised not to tell Weiss or Yang, of course.

I continued my crusade as I turned to my sister. “Yang just sits there looking all judgy.” The same look Yang had been making for a while now, in fact. “And Taylor is always busy with work and training. The only time we hung out was to design your weapon, and I didn’t even get to put a gun on it!” Which I wasn’t still mad about, no sirree. 

They were all looking at me with various levels of exasperation, but at least Yang looked amused.

“So, that is why”—I raised my hand and slapped the table for dramatic effect—“we will be having a slumber party team building night!” I pumped my fist into the air in triumph. This plan would surely bring victory.

“Ruby, we live in the same room,” Weiss stated blankly.

“Yeah, we’re already having slumber parties every night,” Yang said, hands on the back of her head.

“You know that’s not what I mean!”

“I’m busy,” Blake said quickly, glancing at Taylor for some reason.

“I don’t know, I might have plans already. Sorry, Rubes. Not that it wouldn’t be fun but...” Yang added, looking over the rest of the team. My own sister, a traitor.

“Exams are coming up, and I want to get a head start on studying,” Weiss stated.

“I’m going to be away on my mission with Team CRDL, then I’m supposed to be working with Team TIGR (Tiger),” Taylor stated. “Besides, isn’t this more of a team only thing? I can find somewhere else to sleep for the night—”

“Nope!” I commanded. “Nope, nope, nope, nope!” I pointed to each of them in succession as I noped them.

“Blake, you’re always busy, and I want to be friends with you. Yang, you’re always hanging out with your other friends so hang out with your team for once. Weiss, you’re already smart so one day won’t hurt, also, you need to learn to loosen up. Taylor… all three of those things actually. And you’re a part of every team, so technically you’re part of Team RWBY! Not just a coach or something! So, no saying no!”

“‘Coach’, I can see it,” Yang said bemusedly. 

“We’ve been together for months now, but I don’t feel like I really know any of you. We’re a team and you’re my friends. I want to spend more time with each of you. I want to work better together.” 

_Please say yes. Pleeeeeease say yes._

To my surprise, Taylor spoke first. “…You’re right, Ruby. I technically am part of every team. I should be trying to get to know people better, even if it’s just to work better with everyone in the field.” That was a… way to put it, but I liked where it was going. “If it’s after I come back from my mission with Team CRDL, I should be able to make it,” Taylor said.

_YES, YES, YES! I thought Taylor would be one of the hardest to convince, but she’s leading the charge!_

Even when we had worked together to design Starfall, it was like a business transaction. Taylor had even tried to _pay_ me for my time!

Now, I had her, and the rest would follow… hopefully.

Blake looked slightly shocked at Taylor’s speech. “Are you sure? Don’t you—don’t _we_ have that thing we have to look into when you come back?” Blake asked Taylor like she was hinting at something else. An inside joke?

“What thing?” Yang questioned, her eyes darting between the two. Yang seemed strangely uneasy, not just because she didn’t get whatever Taylor and Blake were talking about. Weird.

“We’ll be able to spare a day. This is important too,” Taylor answered Blake, who nodded in return after a moment. Yang slumped down, looking troubled by the exchange. I made a mental note to ask her what was wrong later.

“Well, if everyone else is doing it…” Weiss said, giving in.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan, Ruby,” Yang said with lackluster energy. 

“Right on! We can make it a celebration party for Taylor’s first mission as well!” I exclaimed. I needed to get a cake now.

“I think it would be best if I looked over the itinerary for this event,” Weiss stated.

“Itinerary? For a party?” I asked.

“Of course. Surely you have a timetable for the event?” 

“No one does that, Weiss,” Yang said. “Were you planning on making us sit around a table covered in doilies and discuss… Actually, what kind of slumber parties did you have, Weiss?” Yang asked, regaining a measure of her usual attitude.

“I—uh—well. I don’t see how that’s relevant.” Weiss’s blush was making a run for ‘most frequent Weiss expression’. Though glare, scowl, and nag were already so far ahead...

“Weiss, have you never had a slumber party before?” I asked cautiously.

“N-no. I wasn’t allowed to partake in such childish ventures.”

“Taylor, Blake, what about you both?” I asked.

“Not since I was a kid,” Taylor stated blankly.

“I also haven’t had one before…” Blake said hesitantly.

I gasped. “Then this will also be Blake and Weiss’s first slumber party! Ohhhhh, this will be great! We’ll have games, and snacks, and talk about stuff.” I clapped in excitement. The stars were aligning to make this as special as it could be.

“What, you want us to play truth or dare or something? I didn’t think you were going that far with the slumber party thing,” Yang said.

“Well, the idea is to get to know more about each other... So, how about we play truth or truth!” That could work. Things were just getting better and better!

“Wait, just truth or dare without the dare part? Where’s the fun in that?” Yang said.

“The idea is to learn about each other. Not scare each other. You think Weiss would last one round of truth or dare with you, Yang?” 

Yang glanced at Weiss, who now looked very cautious. “Good point. I don’t think she’s at that level quite yet.”

“I can be spontaneous and wild if I want. I just choose not to,” Weiss huffed unconfidently.

“I’m eighteen years old, and I’m going to be playing slumber party games…” Taylor stated to herself with closed eyes, as though she was rethinking all her decisions.

“It could be interesting. At least, the ones I’ve read about seemed fun,” Blake said quietly.

“Perfect! I’ll have it all ready for when Taylor gets back! ‘Operation: Party Poppers’ is a go!” I called out, adjourning the meeting.

“Wait, what did you call this?” Weiss asked, but I chose to ignore it.

I couldn’t wait. Team RWBY-plus-Taylor were on their way to becoming super-besties.

Then, we’d be on track to being like those heroes from the stories. Not just me, but everyone.

It would all work out. I just knew it would.

**Interlude Friends??? End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Orbital Oracle, Majigah, Biophosphoradelecrystalluminescence (Enop), Michael V, Juff, Breakingamber, and Chris C! Glory be to thy names and thy houses!
> 
> Just Words:  
> This one got changed completely. Covers the same stuff but in a better way that shows more. Much better than the one I salvaged from my slightly drunk ramble of Taylor traumatizing Jaune. 
> 
> Also, this means that Jaune never reveals he forged his papers to get into Beacon, and probably won’t for a long while. 
> 
> Finding Another Shadow:  
> Also, I accidentally wrote it as her having projected a ‘cone’ before I got corrected. So, imagine if Blake’s manifestation of her very soul was that she projects cones, which sounds like a way better story than this one.
> 
> Also, yes; that was Yang’s talk with Blake from Volume 2 Chapter 6, just way earlier in canon and not working.
> 
> Operation: Party Poppers:  
> This chapter was going to start with Ruby proposing her desire for more team bonding, but then it turned into this.
> 
> The cafeteria scene where Ruby calls out everyone for being naggy, judgy, and such was in the manga (Blake was originally only for reading all the time), and I thought it was a good moment to use for more team bonding.
> 
> Though, the slumber party thing is entirely me. I want it to actually feel like everyone is becoming friends rather than just off-screen time passing that brings the characters closer together… I can’t fucking believe I’m writing a slumber party...
> 
> Ruby’s grades are usually in the mid-eighties, sometimes dipping into the seventies for some subjects, but that isn’t good enough for Weiss. 


	16. Cardinal Sin

* * *

_Taylor_

Months.

Months of _nothing_.

Shadows jumped out from every corner, and each time I expected Contessa to pop out and whisk me away to fulfill whatever purpose I’d been left here for in the first place.

No threat had risen, no enemy, no _reason_.

Even if I was just another gear in one of Contessa’s plans, it would still be better than this aimlessness.

When I wasn’t hoping for her to pop out of the shadows, I was jumping at lights.

Bright flashes set me off sometimes, leaving my hand grasping for a weapon and my swarm inbound. Some sounds would suddenly leave golden death all around me, and no people, only more soldiers for me to use.

Then, I would blink, and I’d be back in a training room or the hallway. 

The memories were as frequent as the phantom pains from my missing arm. I would wake up at night, spasms running down to missing fingertips. A burning itch that bit at my nerves with fiery agony. I clawed at a hand that wasn’t there, anything to try and ease the pain.

Eventually, my body would catch up with my mind and the pain would fade. 

The phantom pains never came when I would have expected them to, like in combat, when I was near fire, or had pressure placed on the stump from a roll or block.

No, it came with the tickling breeze or tender raindrops. It came in the calm and left the constant anticipation of its return.

My body betrayed my mind for a memory, leaving only agony and hollow sensations. 

When the White Fang and Roman Torchwick had become a more apparent problem, I was happy—thankful, even.

Finally, something to _actually_ do. So, I went hunting, but I found Hei Xiong instead.

Hei Xiong, or ‘Junior’, was a part of the less savory elements of Vale, and I had started an amicable business relationship with him, selling him the bits of information I picked up around the city as I scoured for any signs of the White Fang or Torchwick. 

‘Stella’ was my paper-thin moniker for these escapades. I didn’t have the resources to make the fake identity more plausible on inspection, so I made do.

Lisa had made all this information gathering seem so easy. I was forced to check the city inch by inch with my swarm, stopping anytime I caught anything interesting. Vale was massive, so progress was excruciatingly slow. 

Where Lisa would have needed a couple of days, I was months in and not even halfway through canvassing the city. 

Being a ‘criminal informant’ was as far as I went with it. Well, as far as I was comfortable letting myself go.

I didn’t want to tackle things beyond what I was able to do… safely, in a moral sense. My ‘big picture’ needed to be more focused—no, less encompassing. I couldn’t do everything. If I tried, then I might slip and go too far to get results while juggling everything else.

The extra money was nice, at least.

Despite my growing ‘hobby’ of searching for the White Fang, it didn’t change the fact that I was dealing with a terrorist group that was more on the level of robbers and petty thugs than an actual threat.

Even if I was able to do something about their Dust robberies, it wasn’t anything substantial. Nothing _important._

Still, the people around the city were scared, calling the Dust robberies the biggest crime spree of the decade. The death toll was less than fifteen people, but because it wasn’t Grimm who had killed those people, that number was suddenly significant. The people of Remnant wouldn’t bat an eye at Grimm massacring an entire village, but as soon as it wasn’t Grimm, they became frightened.

In a way, I understood. Their safety within their walled city was suddenly threatened by something they wouldn’t assume to be the culprit—people.

Bandits existed, of course, and they survived by raiding smaller towns for their supplies, then leaving before the Grimm arrived in the wake of their attack. A reminder that people could be as bad as monsters. Bandit activity wasn’t publicized, probably because bad news might influence the populace negatively and attract more Grimm.

It left me restless, yet tired. Weary in my bones, yet anxious to go out and do something.

The relentless energy seething inside me, driving me to pursue my goals during my time as Weaver, was slowly dying; only sheer stubbornness kept it from withering away completely.

I distracted myself with schoolwork and training, with helping the various teams coordinate, and with working against the White Fang.

All I could do was wait.

Infrequent and troubled sleep made my morning runs start earlier and earlier.

I had found myself stopping to watch the sunrise to bleed the extra time. Remnant sunrises were always a blaze of swirling colors that painted away the night. Yet, today, I drifted away from the picturesque scene to the past.

There were only two mementos I had from Earth Bet. 

The first was memories in the shape of a knife on my lap, the nano-thorn knife I had started to bring with me on my runs, my reflection staring back at me in its blade. 

Without a Tinker to perform maintenance, it had become functionally useless beyond being a sharp knife. Another thing I had lost.

The second was family in the hair that ran down my shoulders—for Mom, at least. 

I had nothing to remind me of Dad beyond the stilted talks we had while I was Weaver. We hadn’t been able to really reconnect. We’d tried, but it wasn’t enough.

It had only been months and I was losing bits of him. The times we had hugged or just had dinner together were so few and far between, now slipping away. So much had happened… Too much. I wasn’t even sure if he was _alive_. I had been too scared to check.

The reminiscence hurt, but going over who and what I lost provided some semblance of familiarity to ground myself, and so that I wouldn’t forget.

I shook my head and headed back to Beacon to prepare for my mission.

I started changing into my new combat gear. The first attempt at spider-silk armor using the spiders I had found—chain weavers.

My swarm had grown, along with their dens in the grounds outside Beacon. If someone were to take a shovel and dig, they might come across the catacombs of hives and webs that I’d crafted, thousands of bugs moving in perfect synchrony. 

Chain weavers had longer breeding cycles and didn’t lay as many eggs as most spiders did. I had eventually reached the number I wanted to begin weaving outfits. The actual crafting process had taken longer because I wasn’t used to the thicker webs. 

The new armor was my first trial-run—a simple turtleneck of leaden gray and black pants. Both clung to me like a second skin.

I put on a white leather belt with a strap that went diagonally across my chest and around my shoulder, and a buckle of ebony metal to hold it all together. 

Attached to the belt was the sheath for the new weapon that Ruby and I had designed. The sheath ran horizontally along my lower back, just like the practice swords and regular blades I’d used. Two pouches to carry ammo and supplies lined the sheath on each side, sitting on the back of my hips.

Next was a jacket of ashen gray, with blocks of cloudy white that ran along the sides and up to the armpits. The collar walled around my neck while the cuffs were folded back over my forearms, both also white, though one sleeve was tied under my stump.

A border of black marked each change of color, something I was rather proud of, as dyeing spider-silk was tedious and difficult if you wanted more detailed patterns. The ink had taken well to chain weavers’ silk, much more than black widow or Darwin’s bark spiders’ webs.

Instead of a zipper, there was a three-inch metal clasp of midnight black that held the jacket together, which meant that it never fully closed. 

On the center of the clasp was my emblem, the gray against black making it look like a single star in the night sky.

I had debated using chitin-based armor plates, but had realized that there was no reason to. With Aura, metal plates wouldn’t hamper my movement or tire me. Thus, layered, angular metal plates of white formed greaves, tassets that hugged my hips, pauldrons, and armor for my shins and knees. Another larger plated piece connected to the pauldrons and protected my upper back. My original gray combat boots were now covered with the new armor plates.

I had tried to match the design to Remnant fashion, but I wasn’t sure how well I did. The biggest problem had been the unnecessary complexity of the outfits everyone else seemed to have. I had wanted to forgo it for something simple, but being recognized as a Huntress outweighed the negatives.

A handgun was strapped to my thigh. A higher caliber than the one I had used during the initiation, but it was a stand-in for the shotgun-rifle Ruby had offered to make for me.

Well, more like hounded me until I gave in to let her make it. Not including her in my arm design had been the right choice.

The girl had been eerily stubborn about trying to socialize with me. It was a bit off-putting, especially since I wasn’t a pariah anymore, what with how much time I spent with all the teams, so the reason behind her actions wasn’t to ‘help the loner’. 

At least she knew her firearms and her way around weapon schematics. The rifle would be my long-range option for something outside the range of my swarm, while the shotgun part would hopefully be enough to prevent people from being able to deflect my bullets thanks to the spread of the shots.

I stretched to test the flexibility and movement of the outfit; satisfied with the results. I then double-checked my ammo and weapons.

We were going to a small village that had unearthed a cavern full of underground Grimm in their Dust mine. 

It was my first mission as a Huntress and I wasn’t sure how it would go. 

There would be Team CRDL to deal with, whom I hadn’t seen since that day in the cafeteria, though I often found them grumbling about me and the upcoming mission through my bugs. Cardin had made a point of boycotting any of the sessions I set up with the other team leaders, and Team CRDL as a whole hadn’t shown up to any of my practice simulations either.

Also, I wasn’t sure how well I would fare in real combat. 

I had improved, but compared to some of the other students, I rated myself as a middling threat, at best. Without my swarm, I would be little help against someone at a Huntsman’s level.

The gap between some of the students was frighteningly large. Pyrrha could most likely beat _any_ student at Beacon, regardless of their year. Hell, she could probably beat ninety percent of the _teams_ by herself. I guessed that she’d come to Beacon to meet people rather than to become strong enough to be a Huntress.

Team RWBY were prodigies in their own right, within the top three teams in the school. Team CRDL was probably in the top five.

It behooved me to remember that the only reason I beat Team CRDL in the cafeteria was that they were unarmed, unprepared, and I took out two of them before they actively used their Aura. 

I had seen Team CRDL fight since then, and I’d bet they’d be chosen as one of the teams Beacon sent for the Vytal Festival at the rate they were improving.

They would be fine; my skill was the problem. The difference in power between Grimm could be staggering.

An older Beowolf could kill tens of younger ones, and we didn’t know how long the Grimm at the mine had been growing underground. Some Grimm needed teams of Huntsmen, some could be slaughtered in droves. We wouldn’t know the danger until we met it.

I grabbed a long, flat piece of white metal that unfolded into the shape of a box out of my locker—a collapsible trunk to bring some of my swarm with me. 

The wheels of the trunk clattered against the stonework as I made my way out of Beacon.

Millions of specks moved in my mind through my power. A co-ordinated march all hidden within my underground labyrinth just outside of Beacon.

I was glad that Rapier wasp nests were structurally strong, otherwise, I would have needed to build supports for the numerous tunnels my bugs carved.

I spotted Pyrrha as she paced in front of the entrance to Beacon.

“Taylor!” she called out happily with a polite wave. “Good morning!”

“Morning. What are you doing out here?”

“Oh um…” Her hands clasped behind her back and she ground the ball of her foot into the ground nervously.

“Pyrrha?”

“Oh, sorry! I just wanted to ask you something.” She paused, and the silence stretched. 

“Uh, Pyrrha?” 

“Sorry, I…” Pyrrha looked down fretfully, her smile battling against her attempts to work up to something else. “I have something to say but it’s harder than I thought it would be,” she stated breathlessly.

“Pyrrha, you don’t have to—”

“No! Sorry! I mean—I _want_ to say this.” Pyrrha closed her eyes and after a moment, they shot open with a determined look.

I tensed instinctively.

“Taylor, I consider you and Jaune to be my closest friends.” _Oh_. “You two were the first ones to get to know me for me and not as some celebrity. And… And because of you and him, I was able to make friends with Ren, Nora, Team RWBY and—” She stopped to wipe a glisten of a tear from her eyes. Her emotions built with each word. “Thank you, for talking to Jaune. I didn’t want to push him into anything because I was scared I’d mess up one of the only two real friendships I had ever made.” Each syllable was a release for what Pyrrha had seemingly been holding back.

I was unsure of what to do or say.

Pyrrha’s motions were becoming frantic, emphasizing her sentiments. Her voice was almost breaking despite her attempts to keep it steady..

“I wasn’t sure what to do. Jaune was unhappy and falling behind. I was angry at myself for not doing anything. For not having the courage to help my friend and partner. Then you talked with him a-and—” Unbidden tears fell from her eyes. 

I wasn’t one to comfort and certainly didn’t know how. I waited awkwardly as Pyrrha sniffled, tears still flowing, but collected herself enough to look up and smile. 

“I know that when we’re speaking, you’re being honest”—I lied all the time, hiding every piece of myself I could—“and treating me as just me. Just like you do with everyone. I can’t tell you how much I wanted that.”

My eyes went wide as Pyrrha reached out and hugged me, her shoulders shuddering sporadically.

“Thank you, Taylor. Thank you for being my friend. I’m so glad that I got to meet you,” she finally got out as she squeezed me tighter.

I stood there frozen before I wrapped my arm around her weakly in return.

It was different than with Lisa and Rachel, where the bonds were more mutual but unspoken. 

I hadn’t realized that she had felt this close to me; I hadn’t expected it from anyone. Not on Remnant, and not something so _open._

It made me feel guilty because I didn’t feel that close to her.

Was it like this with anyone else? This disconnect between how I felt and what others thought of me?

I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was...

After a moment of composing herself against my shoulder, Pyrrha pulled away and wiped her eyes against her sleeves.

“I’m sorry. I had just wanted to say good luck on your mission, but realized… that I wanted to say more,” she ended with a sniffle.

“It’s fine, Pyrrha, really. And… thank you for saying what you did...” I said, somewhat distantly.

“It’s nothing, truly. I’ll… see you when you get back?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course.”

“Take care then, and good luck.” She turned and started her way back to Beacon. My bugs caught the slight spring in her step halfway back.

I stood silent and unmoving in contemplation.

I needed to be better about allowing myself to get closer to people.

_But what if I need to leave them behind for something important?_

There weren’t any hidden threats or nearing disasters. I didn’t have to abandon any more teammates.

_But Contessa might still appear for whatever reason she left me here._

I couldn’t be sure of that.

 _But_ —

I cut off the mental argument with a sigh that did nothing to loosen the knot of frustration and shame I felt.

Pyrrha had felt strongly enough about this that she thought she needed to thank me for my friendship, yet I hadn’t been a friend to her at all.

Pyrrha was a good person, someone I would _want_ to be friends with.

Maybe Ruby was right, and her team bonding party-thing was something that _I_ needed. Not just for team cohesion, but for myself.

I numbly made my way to where I was meeting Professor Goodwitch and Team CRDL, stopping only to fill my trunk with bugs.

All the while, I thought of the people I had met since waking up on Remnant and wondered if I truly cared about them in the way that they deserved.

* * *

The airship jostled as it fought against the wind and rain. A constant barrage of torrents crashed onto the hull of the ship.

I had long since blocked out the grumblings of the people around me.

Cardin and Dove periodically sneered at me, while Sky and Russel were more inclined to turn away if our eyes met.

I had tried to bring up what the plan was for the mission, but the responding scoffs told me that they weren’t interested in talking. There wasn’t much to discuss anyway; we didn’t have intel on the Grimm, or even a map of the mine.

It gave me time to double-check and clean my weapons. They didn’t need it, but the routine helped me focus.

I had switched to Ice Dust rounds only for this mission, and I had told Team CRDL to do the same. I wasn’t sure how structurally sound the mine was, and I didn’t want to risk being buried in a cave-in just because we caused an explosion with the more volatile Dust variants. 

Fresh oil shone on the single-edged straight sword on my lap. A fuller ran up its length and ended just before the triangle tip of the blade. It had a short ricasso that had a double-edged hooked blade jutting out from it. It curved in to run perpendicular to the sword’s main body to form a cruel-looking crevice to trap an opponent’s weapon if I locked blades with them. 

The round handle was wrapped in a black rubber material that was reminiscent of a tactical knife and ended in a broadened metal head made for striking with the butt of the hilt. 

The handle was just long enough to hold comfortably with both hands—when I had two hands, that is. There were two trigger-switches where my index and middle finger rested to activate the sword’s features.

The guard was long and flat but curved upwards slightly at the ends. There was a slight concave on the bottom of it, enough for a bug to hide and pull the triggers when needed.

A small, square Dust cartridge was slotted into the back of the blade near the base. The Gravity Dust made the blade feel like it was trying to float but couldn’t under its own weight.

Large groupings of Gravity Dust were enough to create floating islands that had been in the air for all of Remnant’s history—supposedly, at least. 

The amount of Dust needed for the entirety of Atlas—a city that almost matched Vale in size—to float was unfathomable. 

The troubles getting to the Dust also made it one of the more expensive types of Dust. Extracting the material that kept the land you were mining it on from falling hundreds of feet was a complicated procedure.

The string of Dust thefts in Vale didn’t help.

Gravity Dust usually made things weightless or produced other area effects. However, if blended right, when activated, it would increase the gravitational force on the object by magnitudes greater than normal instead.

It wasn’t unheard of for something to smash into a cluster of Gravity Dust crystals and activate them, sending the floating landmasses crashing toward the ground, with literally earth-shattering results.

For my sword, the Dust would make an attack many times stronger than what I would be able to do with my strength. Hopefully, it would be enough to make it through the plating of bigger Grimm.

The problem with the tactic, which caused everyone to steer away from using it, was that after the Dust made an object heavier, it remained that way until the Dust ran out of charge. Meaning the blade would be immobile under its own weight, and I would have to fend for myself until the effect ended.

It was only brief moments, seconds at most, depending on how long I held the trigger, but that was a lot of time when fighting at the speeds Huntsmen did.

The weapon wasn’t made to fight people, but that was the point; it was a weapon for fighting monsters.

Then again, as soon as my arm arrived, the Gravity Dust would be a perfect baiting strategy, as well as a useful tool for delivering powerful blows. Still, I needed to be careful when using it for this mission.

I switched my glasses for my combat goggles. Then, I finished by going over my ammo reserves and Dust reserves before leaning back to relax a bit just as the ship began its descent.

Twin Seams was named after the two ravines that the village had been built in, having developed into a ‘V’ shape around the fork of two canyons.

Villages outside the main kingdoms were tiny, hundreds of people at most, but usually the populations never hit the triple digits.

The townsfolk had gathered in a variety of raingear and stood anxiously around the mouth of a cave. I counted less than fifty, probably most of the village’s populace.

Rain buffeted us as we exited the ship before Professor Goodwitch created an umbrella of telekinetic force with her Semblance to cover us. I hadn’t been sure if the air was something her Semblance could affect until then.

Russel glowered at the Faunus, not bothering to hide his disdain. 

Professor Goodwitch’s eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, a storm brewing on her face to match the one above us.

“I believe that everyone was specifically told to not enter the mine until after we had dealt with the Grimm,” she stated sternly to an elderly woman with lime-green hair being eaten away by the graying of age. Wrinkles worn into her face made her look like she smiled too much.

“You are the Huntsmen?” We all nodded in response. She tried to smile, but worry held it down. “Then, I must apologize. It has been days since we have been able to work, and the miners feared that the SDC would take the chance to buy out the mine. By the time I learned of it, a group had already entered,” she said regretfully.

_Shit, this just became a rescue mission._

“I see, unfortunate.” Professor Goodwitch’s frown deepened.

“Does anyone have a map of the tunnels?” I asked loudly, trying to fight the clatter of falling rain.

The woman, who I assumed was the head of the village, pondered for a moment before adopting a look of dark realization.

“The ones who went in were the miners, and they were the only ones who knew the layout?” I guessed, receiving a grim nod in return. “No paper records?”

“Stored in the site manager’s office, inside the mine.”

_Shit._

“So, what are we waiting for? If they’re in there, then we just have to get’em out,” Cardin said indifferently.

“Any information available would be useful for getting them out, Mr. Winchester,” Professor Goodwitch stated. “If we get lost in the mines, then we would _also_ need to be rescued.”

“We should be fine with Dove with us. His Semblance lets him see the paths others have taken if they’re fresh enough.” A true follower at heart. “He should be able to follow the miners’ trail right to them. It’s finding the cavern that the Grimm came through that will be the problem. We might accidentally run into a cave full of Grimm if we find them before we get to the miners,” I stated.

“Umm, I need to have seen the person for my Semblance to work,” Dove said nervously.

I whipped toward him. “What?” I took a few steps toward him while he took a step back. “ _That_ would have been nice to know when I was laying out plans for how to use it in combat, _wouldn’t it?_ ” I asked venomously. Not like they had shown up for any sessions anyway.

“Yeah, telling someone we might have to go against in the Vytal festival your weaknesses sounds super smart,” Sky said sarcastically.

“The tournament is between _teams_ of _four_. I’m not on a team! I don’t even want to compete,” I stated.

I watched the gears turn in Sky’s head. “Oh,” he said simply.

“Great.” _‘Nest’ and ‘Soaring’ formations are useless then_. _Stupid names anyway._ “Never mind, we’re back to square one,” I growled. 

“Actually, we’re back farther than that. Now that this is a rescue mission, the rank of the mission goes up,” Professor Goodwitch stated.

“Well, you’re here, so we should be fine, right?” Russel asked.

“This is your mission, and the responsibility for it falls on you. Or do I have to _remind_ you why you all are here in the first place,” she chided.

“Good thing we have more than the standard four-person team to make up the difference,” I added.

Professor Goodwitch contemplated that. “I suppose it will have to be sufficient. Standard field command still applies, but I will intercede if needed. Understand?” We nodded.

“Thank you very much for what you’re doing. I don’t think our village could withstand losing those reckless fools,” the village head said with a smile that warmed the heart. 

“Time is of the essence now. We’ll have to risk going in without an accurate map,” Professor Goodwitch stated. “One of you will have to mark the passages as we go. Cardin, as team leader for this mission, choose wisely. Hopefully, there aren’t many offshoots from the main path.”

“Scribe duty is on you, psycho,” Cardin said to me before snickering.

“None of that, Mr. Winchester,” Professor Goodwitch snapped. I just shook my head.

We all started into the tunnel. The canyon that the mine had been dug into was made of a dark stone that had a burgundy gleam.

Wooden beams supported the tunnels at constant intervals while the ground had a set of tracks leading down the middle of it. Lights connected to suspended wires lit the way. A ventilation duct hung from the support beams, canisters of Air Dust embedded in them to force a constant flow of air through the mine.

After getting out of view of the entrance, I set my trunk down and popped off the lock before continuing to follow the others.

I got some perplexed glances from the others for leaving it behind, but they either didn’t care enough to ask or didn’t want to talk to me.

My swarm funneled out of their container and followed us at a healthy distance. Team CRDL and Goodwitch were already marked with bugs back on the airship, and the vents allowed me to spread my bugs throughout the facility. 

The scent of the Fire Dust within the mine mixed with the incoming air from outside to make the air smell of rain and ash, an odd dichotomy.

I brought out my Scroll to map out our route. It was going to be annoying to do with one arm, but I suspected that was why Cardin had me do it.

“Miss Hebert,” Professor Goodwitch started as she moved to match my pace, letting the boys stride ahead of us. I waited for her to continue but she seemed to be in the process of analyzing me.

“Professor?”

“What are your thoughts on this mission?” she asked. She sounded more than curious about my opinion. 

“We’ve gone over intervening in battles of Grimm against civilians, so it’s only getting to them in time that’s the issue.”

“Nothing on your teammates?” I glanced to see the boys chatting absently amongst themselves, not bothering to listen to our conversation.

“I don’t think anyone would comment on any apprehension they had with a group they weren’t in the best relations with during a mission together.”

“Most people certainly. I have trouble thinking you would be afraid to give your opinion, though.” 

_Was that how she saw me?_

“I don’t have an issue with working with Team CRDL.”

“Really?” she asked skeptically. “Do you not dislike them?” Mom would have scowled over the double negative. I’d never been picky with the grammar side of things. A sudden deus ex machina or glaring anachronism was my major pet peeve. 

“If I can trust that they’ll accomplish the same goals as me, then it doesn’t matter if I like them or not, we can get the job done,” I said.

“Do you still believe what you did was correct then?” Rhetorical. “Would you beat them down now that they’re on your team if they got in your way?”

“If the situation called for it, yes.” Like if they were actively trying to get people killed. “Sometimes force is needed when words won’t stop someone.”

“My disagreement isn’t with that, it is with the idea that violence is the step directly after failed negotiations.” 

There were other methods, but none of them would have stopped that girl’s harassment as quickly as I had. Giving them warning meant starting a fight where I was outnumbered and outmatched. 

“Sometimes, no matter what you say or do, people refuse to cooperate or put aside their differences. It’s not always a bad thing, but it does lead to confrontation. I just resolved the conflict more decisively than most.” And with the best results for what the situation was.

“So, you’re fine with just forcing people to cooperate with you then?” she accused.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her. “Forcing people to cooperate shouldn’t be the answer, but sometimes it’s the only one you have.” I hated everything that led up to Khepri, and I hated that the situation had been so terrible that it had been necessary. “If I can cooperate with others through words and ideals, then I will take that option _every time_.” I would not _force_ others to work with me ever again, not if there was another way. “Unfortunately, that isn’t always an option. That’s why we learn to fight people as well as Grimm, isn’t it?”

“You are correct, though how we approach those situations where words don’t work is important too,” she argued.

“I agree.” I let the sentiment hang, knowing that we didn’t agree, before we continued on. “We best hurry. I doubt they will wait for us.”

“Indeed.”

With that, our conversation ended.

My bugs had found a few side tunnels through the vents, but none were very deep. I saw sleek metal containers and machinery either left on the tracks for transport or built into the sides of the stone. 

The odd contrast of wooden beams supporting the ceiling and the high-tech equipment that was typical for Remnant felt out of place for me; or at least, it made _me_ feel out of place.

Side tunnels leading to dead ends ran throughout the mine. Most likely to check for ore, or perhaps for smaller ore veins that had run dry. 

A few minutes of walking later, we heard screams. All of us drew our weapons and rushed toward the noises.

My bugs were closer and quickly arrived at the scene.

It was a large oval chamber, which served as a crossroads for several other tunnels. A lunchroom sat nestled into the stone while forklifts were parked on the opposite side.

A group of men, both Faunus and humans in ratty leathers with simple spears, were being pushed away from a few Grimm on the far side of the room. They were being herded down one of the far tunnels, one that I was sure didn’t lead to the surface.

Creeps were one of the few types of Grimm that I couldn’t draw a reference to another animal or being. There were Grimm that looked like mammoths, ghosts, and even mythological creatures, but Creeps were distinct.

They only had thick hind legs that inverted at the knees. A stout tail plated with bone armor offset the weight of their massive maw. That was it. 

Creeps specialized in strength, their bite crushing metal and stone with ease while their tails were just as strong. They burrowed by biting through anything in their path.

It was odd that there were only three of them. Usually, it took a very nasty Grimm or a significant amount of them to warrant a response from Beacon. 

There must have been more on the way, the miner’s panic like blood in the water for the sharks.

The miners prodded and poked at the Creeps, but the spears barely penetrated the Grimm’s thick, dense hides.

I rushed up to catch up to Team CRDL as they ran ahead.

“Focus on pushing the Grimm back so that we can get the miners out,” I called out. “Cardin and Dove hit them first.” Cardin scowled at me while Dove nodded absently. “Russel and Sky follow up, then I should be able to—”

“You’re not the one leading this team, spaz,” Cardin growled. “Killing the Grimm means the miners will be safe, _and_ it’s also the reason we’re here in the first place,” he added snobbishly. “Surround them and go for the kill. Two birds, one stone. Goodwitch will handle the miners.” He sounded like he was saying the most obvious thing in the world to try and irk me.

“I—” I stopped abruptly as my bugs caught tens of more Grimm—Creeps, Beowolves, and Ursa, all meandering through the tunnels toward the sounds of combat.

My swarm flooded out of the vents above the incoming Grimm, stabbing into red eyes and smoggy flesh. The Grimm frenzied and began bashing and rubbing their bodies wildly against stone and each other to try and shake their assailants.

My bugs could only do minor damage to the Grimm, but it was enough to distract them for a while. Killing them with my swarm took far more time than we had.

Normally, I would have brought along some Dust crystals for my bugs to carry, to use as grenades and bombs. However, predicting the output of exploding raw Dust crystals was difficult at best, and I didn’t want to risk the integrity of the mine.

Cardin didn’t wait as we entered the larger chamber and crossed the room with a charging blow with his mace, sending one of the lumbering Creeps stumbling into the other.

Dove fired his sword-gun while Sky lunged with his halberd, its large blade lancing into the Grimm’s exposed sides before Sky began firing rounds into it from the gun shooting out from the butt of his weapon.

Russel nimbly leapt up and over the first Creep and bounced off the ceiling, twenty feet high, and launched downwards with his two daggers, which were emanating frost from their edge. The twin blades dug into the second Creep and ice formed from the wounds, encasing the side of the Grimm and freezing it to the one the rest of his team were facing.

It would have been an adequate display from Team CRDL if they hadn’t let the third and farthest Creep gain momentum into a running charge at the miners, who had stopped to witness our arrival instead of fleeing.

I tapped the second trigger-button on my sword, and the handle shot out, extending into a polearm. I leapt off the ground, letting the lengthening butt of my weapon push off the floor and pole-vault me over the two Creeps.

I twisted in the air, flying feet first while switching the grip of my weapon, and tossed it like a javelin toward the head of the Creep. The Gravity Dust made the weapon float slightly off target, something I would have to practice more to compensate for, but the Grimm was big enough that it didn’t matter. 

A spider I had on the grip activated the Dust trigger on it, and for a moment, the blade glowed with subtle darkness before it rocketed down and speared through the Grimm.

The Creep came to a roaring crash as the momentum from its charge fought against the weapon pinning it to the ground, causing it to fall and skid a few feet before my blade caught enough purchase to hold it. 

It growled and thrashed as I landed in a quiet roll. I drew my gun, casually walked up behind it, and fired into one of its four eyes until it slumped and began to dissipate.

My blade had gone straight through some bone plating, so it was at least effective for Grimm of this age. 

Professor Goodwitch was already by the miners, having moved quickly past all of us to secure their safety while letting us deal with the Grimm.

The other Creeps were fading as Team CRDL strolled over to us. Cardin sported a smug grin as he glared at me.

_He can’t stand being humiliated but can only work to one-up me while Professor Goodwitch is nearby to get back at me; it’s pitiful in a way, pathetic in another._

Some Grimm had fought through my insect’s assault and were slowly getting closer, their enraged screeches echoing distantly through the tunnels. My swarm hadn’t stopped, the Grimm were just ignoring them now.

 _This is going more smoothly than I had expected it to_ —

My thoughts stopped as I noticed the state of one of the tunnels. The support beams had been broken toward the stone-face, as though something too big for the tunnel had forced its way through.

Naturally, that was when my bugs felt _it_ approach.

Its massive bulk squeezed against the tunnel walls due to its sheer size. It felt like several Creeps had been fused together to create some unholy amalgamation.

One massive head big enough to crunch down on a person whole was surrounded by regular Creep heads that looked like they had been mounted onto the ends of the Grimm’s tails to act like some form of distorted necks. Six legs, all inverted at the knees, trudged along with heavy stomps that sent spiderwebs through the ground and snapped the metal tracks like toothpicks. The bone armor on the creature was rocky and covered most of the beast. The lines that decorated the Grimm’s plating were jagged and asymmetrical. Twin rows of spines ran along the creature’s back, scraping against the stone as it walked. Two tree trunk tails swayed with each step, both ending in thicker versions of the spines on its back. 

Most of all, I noticed what looked like a sleeker patch of bone on the center of its back, similar to the shape of an elongated skull with six eyes. Two horns that slightly corkscrewed outwards gave it a demonic look.

I had never seen any picture or mention of whatever the thing was, but from its sheer mass, I was sure that it could bring the roof down on all of us if we weren’t careful.

“Professor!” I shouted. “Something’s coming!” I pointed to the damaged tunnel, which just happened to be the one next to the tunnel that led straight to the surface.

As if on cue, the dull thuds from the monster began to vibrate the rock around us, steadily stronger with each step. 

“Dove and Russel with me. Dove, get ready to fire while Russel and I try to seal the tunnel with ice. Cardin and Sky, help the injured get to that tunnel, now!” I directed, not waiting for any objection as I ran.

I grabbed my weapon and retracted the staff-end while sheathing it in one motion, then I grabbed a full magazine of Ice Dust and tossed it into the tunnel.

Part of my swarm diverted from exploring and harried the mutated Creep, but it didn’t even react to the hundreds of tiny stings piercing into it.

Dove had followed me almost obediently, while Russel hesitated, and Cardin fumed.

“If the Grimm is so big, then it means it can’t dodge from in the tunnel, we should be focusing on killing it!” Cardin shouted to his team, who followed him as he left the miners to join me.

I didn’t get a chance to protest as the rhythmic thuds of the hulking Grimm picked up into a jog, and my bugs felt it begin to charge forward, destroying any rock or metal that was in its way.

“Damn it, Cardin,” I muttered as I fired a round into the magazine I had thrown.

It exploded into several blooms of ice that pressed against the walls and ceiling of the tunnel.

“What are you doing?! If you trap it, then we’re just going to lose it when it heads back the other way into the mine!” Cardin yelled as he got into a ready position at the mouth of the tunnel.

Goodwitch had made three splints for various limbs and was lifting the injured miners away with her telekinesis. We would have to hold out until she got them to safety, because I didn’t think we had anything that would hurt the mutant Creep.

“Cardin, we are here for the miners, not the Grimm!” I growled.

“We’re here for both, and shouldn’t you be all-for unfair ambushes?”

“Are you fucking—”

A thunderous roar resounded through the mine from the mutant Grimm, like a deep wolf’s howl mixed with screeching metal. The walls echoed the sound endlessly.

Every Grimm my bugs marked froze, then began rushing to where we were.

Snarls and barks created a monstrous chorus in response to the deafening war cry of the distorted Creep.

 _Seven entrances, at least forty_ — _no, fifty-three Grimm approaching. Way more than expected. Miners are injured and moving slowly, not anywhere near far enough away. My bugs are being ignored though they are slowing them down. I didn’t bring enough to attack so many of them effectively. Cardin is so set on wanting to best me that he’s missing the point. I don’t know how to collapse part of a tunnel safely without potentially caving everything in._

I switched to my sword as the misshapen Creep bounded around the curve of the tunnel enough that its contorted form became visible, a giant approaching shape of black, white, and red behind the wall of ice. 

Russel and Dove backed away while Sky was looking to Cardin for an answer.

I extended my sword and braced it against the stone to let the beast impale itself.

“Everyone, get ready to fire, aim for the legs! We can only try to slow it down now. Sky, brace your weapon like I have. Make sure it’s a bit to the side of the thing so that you can dive out of the way when it connects. Cardin, if you send a wave of Dust at it, then we might have a chance at this,” I ordered, but wasn’t confident. 

Professor Goodwitch lifted the miners down one of the tunnels and dashed back toward us.

None of them argued as they got into position, not taking their eyes off the blurry shape of the warped Creep.

The other Grimm were making their way at a moderate pace, knocking into each other in an uncoordinated mass while bugs nipped at their eyes.

Ice shattered apart as the distorted Grimm crashed through it, barely even registering the resistance.

Its many smaller heads snapped at the air menacingly as it came closer and closer.

“What the fuck is that!” Sky yelled.

“We can’t fight—” Russel began.

“Hold!” I shouted as I felt Russel and Sky getting ready to bolt.

Our weapons connected with its shoulder, between the tail-like necks of its many heads, and I had my spider activate the Gravity Dust.

“Now, Cardin!” I yelled and rolled out of the way of the charge.

I had expected the increased weight to slow the Grimm, or at least cause the blade to dig into its body more, but a simple flick from its main head sent my weapon, increased weight and all, flying from its body, wrenching it from my grip to send it clattering heavily to the ground.

I hadn’t accounted for something that was stronger than the weight of the Gravity Dust and my own strength combined.

Cardin’s weapon flared a fiery red—the asshole hadn’t switched from Fire Dust like I had said to—as he brought it down, sending a wave of broken stone and fire over the monster.

Angry flames tore apart the stone floor and washed over the Grimm, the wave of heat rushing back toward us and filling the room with an ashy smell.

The attack merely annoyed it.

Cardin looked up in shock at the ineffectiveness of his attack before he was launched through the air by one of the smaller heads biting into his shoulder and tossing him aside, only to stop right before he hit the wall.

The creature’s charge didn’t stop as it barrelled through everyone and into the opposite wall.

The force of the tackle knocked the air out of me as I was easily flung out of the way by a swinging head and the massive frame of the mutated Grimm.

Worms in the dirt around us felt the ground shift and my eyes widened.

Sky had been knocked toward the main entrance tunnel, but Russel and Dove were still near me.

The walls and floor shuddered, like the world itself was groaning.

I shot up and grabbed my weapon as quickly as I could.

Goodwitch arrived; too late.

I dug the blade into the ground and used it to vault myself into the both of them, sending all of us down one of the far tunnels right before the roof collapsed, sending thousands of tons of rock crumbling down on us and plunging everything into darkness.

**Chapter 16 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Hopefullylesspretentious, JasonILTG, Majigah, and Enop, I shall tattoo your names on my forehead in honor of your good work… The writing will just have to be really small.
> 
> *Half Masked says Team CRDL mission will only last one chapter*
> 
> *Immediately writes 2.5k worth of words where Taylor hasn’t even left Beacon yet*
> 
> *Proceeds to bang head on keyboard*
> 
> *Continues; 3.5k and they’re not even in the mine yet*
> 
> *Breaks laptop over head*
> 
> *Hits 7k and still not done*
> 
> *Heads to store and buys two laptops for which to bash head through*
> 
> This isn’t a new Grimm of my own invention, technically anyway. In the ‘unofficial’ RWBY manga there is a ‘tentacle Grimm’ which is a possession-type Grimm like the Geist is, except it affects biological stuff rather than inanimate (Though the Geist was able to possess a tree but whatever). In the manga, it combined a bunch of King Taijitus Grimm to make a Yamata no Orochi looking Grimm (That’s the eight-headed river snake monster from Japanese lore). It hasn’t appeared in the show and the canonicity of that manga run is dubious but who cares, it isn’t something I plan on having pop up much (Or at all after this…). I couldn’t find a good mythological creature to base this one on but maybe that’s because my mind moved to the amalgamations of Undertale when thinking about it.
> 
> As for the ‘power levels’ of the teams, well, we know that Team CFVY, JNPR, RWBY, and CRDL made it to the Vytal Festival out of all the teams at Beacon. There’s your top four teams cause they would have needed to beat out all the other teams to snag the Festival spots. The show never mentions if the years are broken up, but we know that first and second years fight together, but nothing on upper years. I’m going to take it as Team RWBY’s grade being an all-star year for teams for basically all the schools and that all grades are able to enter the tournament. This also means that Pyrrha defeated one of the four strongest teams at Beacon by herself. OP, please nerf. 


	17. The Job

* * *

_ Taylor _

Coughing out the dust invading my lungs, I separated from the tangle of limbs that we had landed in.

The lights had gone out, leaving us in perfect darkness.

“Everyone okay?” I asked sluggishly.

My swarm was already on its way, having to take the long route as the tunnel had been destroyed.

I could still make out dulled roars and some yelling from behind the rock and dirt that now blocked us from everyone else. I took it as a sign that they were still alive.

The only bugs I hadn’t been using to attack the other Grimm were the ones I had on Cardin, Professor Goodwitch, and the distorted Creep, so I wasn’t sure about the miners. 

Cardin was beside Professor Goodwitch, moving away from us down a tunnel, most likely with the miners in tow.

The mega-Creep was still moving, shaking off rubble that killed more of what little bugs I had on it. 

“Sore and shaken, but I’m fine,” Dove said.

“What the hell was that thing?!” Russel asked, obviously unnerved.

“Don’t know, won’t matter if we don’t start moving. We need to get back to the others before we get surrounded by Grimm,” I answered.

The mega-Creep stalked after Professor Goodwitch and Cardin.

My remaining bugs bit at the many eyes of the Grimm, causing it to twitch or wince slightly but nothing hindered it. There wasn’t anything else I could do.

“Crap, I think I dropped my Scroll,” Dove stated, the bugs on him telling me he was frantically searching his person for it.

I felt Russel fumbling with his Scroll until he flashed on the light, his trembling hands causing the light to shake.

Dove gave a grateful grunt in reply as he scooped up his own Scroll.

“Fucking shit, fuck,” Russel muttered, looking around frantically.

I put a hand on Russel’s shoulder and gripped it hard, causing him to turn to me. I saw dirt and sweat matting part of his mohawk against his scalp as his eyes spoke of unbridled fear.

“Russel, focus on what we have to do right now. We can’t run away from this,” I said calmly. “All we have to do is find out where this tunnel leads. We can think of everything else after.”

Russel nodded slowly, and then desperately. Dove put a hand on Russel’s other shoulder in support. 

Eventually, Russel stopped his shudders, and I took my hand away.

I found my weapon under a sizable rock, undamaged, which was good. Ruby would have been unbearable if her ‘stepchild’ had been broken on its first day. 

“You guys wounded?” I asked.

“N-no, just a bit roughed up. Aura is around fifty percent. Uh, um, y-you? You good?” Russel sputtered.

“A little battered but fine.”

“Dove?” Russel asked.

Dove gave a nod and a reassuring smile to Russel, who seemed relieved.

Russel then patted his belt and glanced around before swearing. One of his daggers was missing from his hand.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find it under all that, Russel. Your equipment, Dove?” I asked.

“Lost my ammo. Only have what was loaded,” he said.

Distant sounds of Grimm howling or snarling echoed toward us sporadically, reminding us of the upcoming danger.

“Only way out is forward,” I stated before starting the long journey.

We walked in silence, content to keep to ourselves until we eventually came upon a fork in the road.

“From the mapping I did, it would be faster if we went this way,” I lied while pointing down one of the paths.

In truth, there were worms wiggling about in the open air down the other tunnel. They had fallen from their earthly homes from another tunnel collapse.

Dove did one of his characteristic grunts while Russel nodded, and a grateful look flashed across his face before the apprehensive dread returned to it.

We continued on.

* * *

The mine was far larger than I expected, or at least, it took a lot longer walking through it.

I hadn’t seen any kind of transport for the miners, but it would have definitely been necessary. The miners must have taken them to wherever they had tried to mine before the Grimm found them.

Time went by with only the soft crunch of dirt under our feet and the distant echoes of Grimm for company. Each new patch of ground our flashlights flickered over looked like the last. 

I checked my Scroll for the umpteenth time; it’d only been twenty minutes of travel through the darkness, but it weighed down like hours.

Finally, the bugs ahead found something that wasn’t more tunnel.

A large section of the wall had crumbled down to reveal a surprisingly massive cavern, at least the size of a football field. Claw marks and places where the stone looked to have been impacted hard enough to crack it decorated the room between stalactites and stalagmites.

Grimm were huddled around the pointed pillars of rock in the room, idly waiting or aggressively pawing at the ground.

In front of what had once been the wall was various mining equipment; there was a crushed machine that looked to have been some form of drill, another that looked like an excavator that was now flattened, and some kind of transport vehicle that was partially buried.

However, two things stuck out.

The first thing was a minecart partially buried from the wall’s wreckage. Inside was a pile of rocks with pointed Dust crystals protruding out of them. A casing of clear plastic ran over the cart’s contents to prevent anything from striking the Dust and causing a reaction.

The second thing was the bodies. Different body parts peeked out of the piles of broken stone, and my bugs found blood gently pooling on the soil.

There were at least nine dead, not counting any that had been buried completely or that the Grimm had consumed.

Tucking my Scroll into my belt so that it would still be able to shine light, I drew my sword. Both Russel and Dove shared a look before they followed suit as we moved silently forward.

“There might be bodies ahead. Brace yourself,” I warned.

I heard one of them gulp but couldn’t tell who.

When we came upon the cavern, I held my hand up for the others to wait, but they ended up walking into me.

I turned to glare but found them staring at a hand sticking out of the rubble.

“Focus,” I said, breaking them out of their shock. “We need to concentrate on getting out of here. Don’t worry about anything else.” I paused, and eventually, they gave small nods. “Now, I think this is the place that the miners opened up and the Grimm came out of. I’m going to take a quick look inside. We may still have to block this wall off somehow if there is an army of Grimm waiting to come out,” I whispered.

“A-are you seriously going in there?” Russel asked disbelievingly, while Dove gave me a single nod.

I stalked into the room without answering and moved out of their sight. There was no point in investigating the room myself with my swarm already doing so, I just needed a way for them not to doubt how I knew the layout and number of Grimm in the room.

My bugs found similar patches of spiderwebs in a pattern that matched the footprints of the mutated Grimm, all of which originated from a single area… 

I frowned. The tracks didn’t lead anywhere, like the mega-Creep had just appeared in the middle of the room.

There were too many overlapping steps to make out any more details.

Had it been buried by a landslide or something so long ago that any trails were gone? Or had it dug its way into the cavern and gone to sleep?

The Grimm we had seen did have a fair amount of bone plating and were a decent size, signs of them being older Grimm. 

_ At least this could be a space to fight that Grimm in if it came to it. No place to get out of the way of that thing anywhere else. Though, I’d rather avoid having to try in the first place.  _

I rejoined Russel and Dove and gave them an overview of the room and the Grimm still inside.

“There are smaller tunnels in the back that I’m guessing other Grimm could come from, but I didn’t see any near the entrances. We’ll most likely have to block the entrance or cave in the room entirely for the mine to be safe,” I stated.

“Shouldn’t we be focused on getting back to Cardin and Goodwitch?” Russel asked, and Dove hummed in agreement.

“I’m not saying that we’re going to do it now, but we will have to eventually for the mission. It’ll just be good to have an idea for what we have to do when we meet up—” I began before something entered my range.

Cardin was sprinting furiously toward us. The mega-Creep was on his heels.

“Fuck,” I said and reloaded my gun.

“What?” Russel asked, shaken from my sudden outburst.

_ Okay, how are we going to do this? _

“Both of you, pick up the minecart and bring it to the middle of the cavern. I’ll keep the Grimm off you,” I snapped, and received confused blinking in response. “That giant Creep is coming. Move, now!” 

At the mention of the mutated Creep, they both sprung into action. Both heaved with effort as they started to carry the cart along.

_ Can’t set up traps without them getting Cardin or blocking our exit. Plus, I doubt I have anything that will work on that thing judging by how it smashed through all that ice last time. _

The other Grimm in the cavern roused, and my bugs attacked. My Aura was already wrapped around me, strengthening and assuring me. 

An Ursa, blotches of mud and rocks lodged between the thick white plating on its hide from its time underground, charged at us.

I stepped forward to meet it. 

It led with a right-handed swing to maul me, but I hopped sideways, forcing the Ursa to overreach while also putting a large stalagmite in its path.

Its claws cleaved through the stone but slowed the blow enough for me to dash forward and dip under its swinging arm.

My weapon extended, and I held it by its end, letting the blade go past the Ursa’s neck as it lengthened.

I pivoted and slammed my shoulder into the upper hilt of my extended weapon to act as a counterpoint to my hand. At the same time, a spider pressed the button trigger and the Gravity Dust flared to life, weighing down the blade with my swing.

The blade bit into the bone plating, and the force of the swing combined with the Gravity Dust brought the entire creature down before finally cleaving through its armor and neck.

The Grimm’s head fell with a heavy thud next to where my weapon sliced into the stone flooring before it began to dissipate.

My swarm saw a Beowolf and a Creep approaching Russel and Dove from the opposite side as they shuffled along.

I gave my sword a tug, but the effect of the Gravity Dust was still going, leaving it firmly lodged in the ground.

I pulled out my gun and fired a series of shots at a group of stalactites.

The Beowolf leaped ahead and was in line to tackle Russel’s back. Dove, looking past him, reeled in shock at the approaching Grimm.

The stone spikes broke and came down, battering the Beowolf and burying it in a rocky tomb.

Russel and Dove stopped to cough from the cloud of dust from the debris, but I shouted at them to keep going.

The dull echoes of the distorted mega-Creep’s charging footsteps began to resound in the distance, along with Cardin’s desperate swearing.

“Is that—” Russel began.

“I’ll get him. Get the cart in position first,” I cut in. 

The center of the cavern was a small clearing that was surrounded by many pillars of stone. The stalagmites and stalactites would help us control which direction the Grimm would come from and was the best place to set our trap.

“There’s fine! We need to defend it until it gets here!” I called out as we reached our destination.

More Grimm in the cavern stirred and lumbered toward us, some squeezing out of the tunnels in the walls.

I ran back to the mouth of the cavern, grabbing my sword on the way, just in time for Cardin to come into view.

He held his Scroll in one hand to light the way and his mace in the other as he sprinted with all his might, the mega-Creep hounding after him and steadily catching up. Its massive maw swung open, showing off rows of sword-like teeth.

“In here!” I yelled to him, and his expression lit up in relief at seeing someone else.

Cardin and I stepped into the chamber before we dove to the sides as the mega-Creep smashed through the cavern entrance.

Its many heads snapped at anything in its path while its main head bit through some large stone rubble that it had picked up on its way, reducing it to pebbles and dust.

It slowed when it realized it hadn’t crushed or eaten its prey. The many smaller heads swayed like snakes tasting the air before they saw us. 

“Taylor, what’s the plan here?” Russel called out, and a wave of fire from his dagger sent a small Creep staggering back before it succumbed to its wounds.

“Where’s Professor Goodwitch?” I asked Cardin.

Then, I noticed the three pillars of stone stabbed into the backside of the mutated Grimm.

“She’s holding our exit open. That fucking thing started chasing us and brought down another tunnel. I got it to follow me so she could hold up the tunnel. We gotta get back before she tires out or we’re trapped!”

_ Well, this just got way harder. Can’t stay and fight. Have to block the tunnel while making sure the mega-Creep can’t follow us. _

“Okay then—Cardin! Send a wave of fire through the air in front of us now!”

The mega-Grimm reared its many heads, each holding pieces of stone in their teeth, and it launched them forward, sending a volley of jagged rocks toward us.

Cardin swung his mace and a wave of fire burst out—in front of  _ him _ instead of  _ both _ of us.

There were too many to dodge, so I ducked and brought my arm up.

The heavy stones pelted me, and I hissed in pain from the impacts. Aura made sure I would have heavy bruises instead of pulped flesh and shattered bones.

“Fucking really, Cardin?!” Russel yelled, having seen the exchange.

“I didn’t—” Cardin sputtered.

“Move, dumbass!” I roared and fired towards the ceiling once more, sending a spray of rocks onto the back of the mutated Grimm as it advanced on Cardin.

The rubble battered the smoother skull-like pattern on the back of Grimm, and it stomped against the stone with a pained fury.

The six red eyes on the skull seemed to bulge and narrow from the impact.

_ Now that I’m seeing it in person, it looks like another Grimm embedded itself into the back of the bigger Grimm—what if that  _ is _ the case? _

The few bugs I had on the mega-Grimm abandoned stabbing its flesh and rushed the six eyes of the skull section.

The effect was immediate as the beast thrashed about, breaking stone pillars and even crushing an approaching Creep under one of its feet. The mine shook as it stampeded about.

Cardin and I rushed to join Russel and Dove.

I fired at a Grimm Dove had impaled and watched as he fired the gun in his blade, using the recoil to pull his sword around and swing wide, over Russel’s ducking head, slicing the Grimm Russel had been fighting.

They nodded to each other before retaking combat stances.

“Russel, I need your dagger,” I stated, holding my hand out.

“Where’s your other one?” Cardin asked.

“Lost it in the cave-in,” Russel said, passing me his dagger without hesitation, which I tucked into my belt.

“Whoa, hold up. You’re just gonna take his only weapon, now of all times?!” Cardin questioned.

“We’re not going to be able to beat that Grimm, especially while other Grimm are hounding us.” I punctuated my sentence with a series of shots that took out the leg of a Beowolf, sending it staggering into the Ursa beside it. “Take this instead.” I tossed Russel my gun and a fresh magazine.

“Then we gotta get outta here!” Cardin snapped.

“So that we can get chased like you did?” A group of pebbles bounced off my shoulder as my bugs continued to make the mutated Grimm writhe.

The stone pillars that I guessed Professor Goodwitch had stabbed into the Grimm had unfortunately walled off the seemingly vulnerable skull. We would be forced to approach it from where its heads could get us and that wasn’t an option.

“I think surviving is the goal right now,” Cardin stated flatly as his mace caved a Creep’s head in.

“If you guys can keep the other Grimm busy and head to the entrance, I should be able to get the big one into position,” I said, ignoring Cardin’s comment. 

“You wanna be bait?” Russel asked incredulously. 

“I’m the best choice. You guys are stronger, so it’s up to you to keep the way clear or I’m fucked.” I turned to glare at Cardin. “Change your weapon’s Dust crystal to ice.” Cardin’s sneer wasn’t as deep as it could have been, but it was much better than the eye roll I had been expecting. “We’ll need the slippery and uneven ground to hopefully slow that thing down. Your weapon is best for that.”

Cardin’s contempt finally melted into resignation. “Okay, we’ll cover you,” he said, determination set in his expression.

“Alright. Everyone good with this?” I asked, assessing their mental states. 

“Please, like my team has anything to worry about,” Cardin stated matter-of-factly. The rest of CRDL seemed to piggyback off Cardin’s confidence. Good, I needed them feeling as little negativity as possible for what I was going to try.

“Then, let’s do this.”

I stabbed Russel’s dagger into the hard plastic shell, piercing the protective casing around the unrefined, pure Dust crystals. Spiders dropped off me and skittered up the cart.

Team CRDL moved in an arc, out of the path of the mega-Creep, but close enough to provide support.

What I was about to do was possible, and there had been documented occurrences before. It really just depended on the person doing it.

I relented my swarm’s attacks just enough for it to stop its frenzy, clenched my teeth for what I was about to do, and fell into my memories, purposely forcing my walls down for the first time in months.

Being isolated from everyone, falling to villainy, becoming a killer, hurting people, betraying my friends, the Slaughterhouse, Aster, Scion. I bounced between all of them, each a cold punch to the gut.

All the Grimm stilled and nipped at the air, as though tasting my despair and self-hatred, then their crimson eyes fixated on me. My spike of negativity suited their palates more than any panic still hidden under CRDL’s newfound bravado. 

It was enough that their focus turned to me. My plan had worked, even if I now felt terrible.

I had long since found a home in desperation, in the heart of conflict. Pushing that down to open up,  _ during _ a fight, made me feel raw and weak. I hated it.

Just to be sure, I picked up a stone and chucked it at the mega-Creep with all my strength.

The rock shattered against the Grimm’s body, and if my trip down memory lane hadn’t grabbed its attention, that certainly did.

The mega-Creep charged, smashing through stone and stomping on its fellow Grimm.

I bolted toward the back of the cave. 

I ducked and weaved around stone pillars and even a couple Grimm. Each step of the mega-Creep vibrated the ground, sounding closer with each impact.

_ Can’t go right, too many Grimm. Can’t go left, more Grimm and too many columns of stone to move around quickly. The smaller tunnels have Grimm in them. Guess I can only go up from here... _

Close combat with the mega-Creep was a death sentence; running was my only option, but getting around the giant Grimm was going to be difficult.

The back wall of the cavern was getting closer; it was too smooth to get a good foothold.

_ Then I’ll make one. _

I drew my sword and pressed the button-trigger to extend it.

Drawing back my arm, I threw my blade as hard as I could. It soared high into the air and speared into the wall.

Bits of stone battered against my back as the giant Grimm plowed through a set of stone pillars behind me. I could feel the vibrations of its growls on my neck.

I pushed my Aura as much as I could and leapt up onto a somewhat flat stalagmite before launching off it. Air rushed around me from where the Grimm’s many heads displaced the air with their snapping jaws. I grabbed onto the handle of my weapon and swung myself up and on top of it, praying the weapon could hold my weight.

The mega-Creep tore through the area below me and slammed into the wall. The small tunnels that the other Grimm had come through collapsed inward from the force, burying the massive Grimm.

Relief flooded me; one of the hard parts was done. Now, I had to get away.

My spiders switched the Dust cylinder of Russel’s dagger to Fire Dust before they began to spin a thread around the weapon’s trigger.

The wall trembled with the giant Grimm’s attempts to shake the stone off of it, which only resulted in it getting covered in more rubble. The smaller heads coiled backward like snakes and began to bite and attack the rocks on top of it.

Team CRDL shouted over gunfire and Grimm. They hadn’t left, which both surprised me and made me question whether I had doubted them just because of my own expectations of the worst in people.

I stared down at the mega-Creep’s vicious floundering, catching the horned skull-mask on its back. 

_ Mask seems to be a weak point judging from its reaction, but getting close enough to attack it would leave me open to all the snapping heads. Then again, hitting the mask might be the distraction I need to get away. I’m not going to get another chance like this, so let’s see how you like a gravity propelled spear through your back, asshole. _

Then, the massive Grimm froze as the six eyes on the skull mask seemed to stare back at me. It was like it had recognized my train of thought. The chaotic thrashing of the many smaller heads slowed and they all turned to face me, rearing back to strike at anything that approached the skull-mark.

_ Well, that option’s out, but I’m more sure that it’s some kind of possession Grimm now. _

I measured the distance, how far and high I would need to go to get over the mega-Creep while avoiding its heads and tails. An impossible jump for a normal person, even for an Olympic athlete, but with Aura…

With a sharp breath, I dropped down and caught my weapon, my momentum pulling the blade free just as my feet swung around to hit the stone wall, and I jumped off it with my Aura gripped around me.

Snaps from jaws closing beneath me followed my path, each so close I swore I felt them brush my skin.

I arced above heads, over the stone lances on its back, and landed in a roll, before launching into an all-out sprint.

“Go go go!” I shouted. “Forget the Grimm and just go!”

Instead, Cardin rushed  _ toward  _ me.

I was halfway to the minecart when the mega-Creep burst from the rubble that confined it. Faster than I hoped…

Too fast; I wasn’t going to make it.

“You better jump for it, dweeb!” Cardin yelled, his mace emanating frost and mist, before he brought it down.

I jumped into a dive, and ice like rolling waves washed under me to crash into the mega-Creep.

Cardin must have used all the Ice Dust he had to cover what amounted to a third of a football field. 

The mega-Creep met the ice with a tackle, easily crashing through the obstacle, but then had to stomp heavily with each step to not slip. 

Enough to slow it down. 

I gave him a thankful nod before we happily retreated.

A deafening roar, louder and more vicious than any before came from the mega-Creep.

I heard its footsteps pick up speed, and the bugs on it edged closer and closer.

It was using its smaller heads as extra legs, smashing them into the ice and stone for purchase. 

The entrance was so close, and we were going to get caught right as we reached it.

_ No time to be safe. _

My spider pulled the thread around the dagger’s trigger taut and the weapon began to emanate fire along its edge.

The mutated Creep passed the minecart in a blur as it covered half the cave in an instant.

The flames slowly licked the exposed Dust crystals.

It leapt. 

I glanced backward and saw an opening maw flying toward us.

We were steps from the entrance.

The cart exploded.

All my bugs in the cavern were incinerated instantly, and I felt the echoes of tons of rubble collapsing down from the ceiling of the cavern.

There was a pained cry from the Grimm as it got thrown off course to collide with the wall beside the entrance.

We turned the corner, out of the cavern, and bolted after Russel and Dove. The mega-Creep burst through the wall beside us.

The mine shook as the cavern collapsed, and the mine itself followed suit. 

I didn’t dare to look back, but my bugs in the vents being crushed to oblivion gave me a clear picture of the tunnel caving in behind me.

The mega-Creep disappeared under an avalanche of stone with one last savage shriek. I didn’t know if that would kill the giant Grimm, but it would certainly trap it. 

My legs burned with effort as I sped through the tunnel, the encroaching cave-in getting closer and closer with every step. A cloud of dust washed by us.

Suddenly, our feet left the ground as Cardin and I were picked up by some unseen force and pulled faster down the tunnel before landing in an undignified roll beside the others.

Professor Goodwitch, hair ruffled and a shine of sweat on her brow, extended one hand to let us down, the other raised upward. The glimmer of her Aura on the ceiling—she must have been holding up dozens of tons of rubble.

Her face was etched into a snarl of exertion, and with a final push, she steadied the rockslide that almost crushed us.

“Get… back to the tunnel,” she ground through her teeth, arms shaking.

We rushed back through what I realized had been the crossroads area that we had originally been attacked. Only three tunnels weren’t caved in; the one we just came from, the main tunnel leading out, and the tunnel Professor Goodwitch had led the miners down.

Russel and Dove waited in the tunnel, catching their breath.

With a growl, Professor Goodwitch dove toward us and let the ceiling fall.

Dust and stone rained down with a titanic crash that sounded like muted explosions.

Eventually, the ground around us settled, and there were only the sounds of some rocks subtly shifting and panting breaths from all of us. 

Professor Goodwitch put her hands on her knees from the exertion, panting heavily, before standing with a grimace.

Her face flashed a look of deep concern as she studied us for wounds before it shifted to relief, then back to her usual stern demeanor. Back to business.

“Report,” she stated.

I waited for Cardin to say something. Sitreps were his responsibility as team leader for these situations.

“Holy shit,” he eventually got out. Eloquent.

“After Dove, Russel, and I got separated, we made our way through the tunnels and came across the cavern that the Grimm had come out of. Cardin soon came running with that mutated Creep on his heels. We were able to get it into the cavern before causing an explosion to bury it and the other Grimm,” I stated.

Professor Goodwitch frowned but nodded. “I see. That’s unfortunate… And the Bukavac?”

“Bukavac?” 

“They are Grimm with the ability to absorb other Grimm into itself to form larger and more powerful variants.”

“Dead or buried.”

“Good. I haven’t encountered one before, but Professor Port has mentioned them in one of his… many stories. They are quite dangerous depending on which Grimm they integrate with,” she said. “For now, let’s get back to the surface. We have to inform the town of the damage to the mine and tell them to avoid the area where the Bukavac is buried in case it survived.”

I winced. The damage was seriously detrimental to Twin Seams’ economy, on top of the loss of nearly a dozen the miners—around half of their trained workers. Twin Seams didn’t have any other major businesses going for it besides Dust mining, and that was probably dwindling thanks to the overwhelming presence of the SDC.

“How are the miners?” I asked.

“The ones with me are safe. After Cardin started to get chased by the Bukavac, we followed a series of side-tunnels and joined up with the path back to the surface. Sky is there now defending against any pursuing Grimm, but I do not think there are many left.”

_ She must have taken out most of the Grimm then, and she still had enough energy to slow down the roof collapsing. The strength of her telekinesis is ridiculous. Beyond impressive. Huntsmen and Huntresses are really on another level. _

“You guys good?” Cardin asked between pants to Russel and Dove.

Russel gave a thumbs up while Dove grunted. A happy grunt? I was still parsing my way through Dove’s wordless replies.

“We will rest, then dispose of any remaining Grimm,” Professor Goodwitch stated. “I will commend you all. Unexpected circumstances are something that will appear, but not usually to this extent. You adapted to the situation the best you could.”

All of us glanced around and met each other’s eyes. There was an unspoken bond, not one of friendship, but one of survival. The same way some of the heroes and villains looked at each other after an Endbringer attack, though to a _ much _ lesser degree. 

I knew it changed how we would be treating one another in the future, but not in any way that really mattered. They were still thugs, and I was still… well, me.

Our trek back was a gallery of all the damage to the mine that my bugs hadn’t picked up on.

The mega-Creep had wrecked a good portion of the mine just from trying to wedge its huge size through the corridors. Broken support beams marked where the Grimm had gone, and occasionally, the heavy wood would groan slightly, causing us all to tense. Cracked ground and stone spears marked where Professor Goodwitch had killed Grimm. 

Some of the side tunnels were untouched, but compared to what was lost, it was a pitiful victory. 

We only found three Grimm, which were quickly dispatched. After another two checks through the mine, we headed for the surface.

Sky was stationed at the main tunnel in case any Grimm tried to leave the mine. He looked worse for wear but alive. 

I had the remnants of my swarm, a sliver of what I had brought, funnel back into my trunk just in time for it to come into view, where I promptly grabbed it as we passed and pulled it along its wheels behind me. 

“What was the purpose of that container, Taylor?” Professor Goodwitch asked.

_ I guess the mission sparked her interest, or maybe she was annoyed that I left some kind of resource behind that could have helped us. _

“A pack to re-supply if needed,” I half-lied. There was some extra Dust and ammo in it, just in case, but it was mostly for storing bugs. 

“Not a terrible idea,” Cardin remarked, not looking at me. A compliment felt weird from him. Out of place.

The smell and sound of rain finally greeted us along with the melancholy light of a stormy evening.

Hours had passed, walking and fighting the entire time. Exhaustion was weighing down on all of us, but the worst part was next.

Judging from everyone’s faces, only Professor Goodwitch was aware of what was coming.

We weren’t given a Semblance umbrella as we walked into the rain this time. I guessed Professor Goodwitch didn’t want to exert anymore than she had to.

Holding up two cave-ins had probably taken more out of her than she was letting on.

The townsfolk had gathered back at the mouth of the mine, ignoring the rain to reunite with the surviving miners that had been led to the surface.

Professor Goodwitch took a sweeping inspection over everyone, then walked over to a makeshift cover the villagers had used to watch if either we or the Grimm emerged from the mine.

Sitting in a chair was the leader of the village, who was giving a cheery smile to the kids that had joined her shelter from the rain, but her eyes lit with sympathy. She knew the fates of those that didn’t arrive with us.

“So, I guess we did it?” Sky asked.

“Of course we did. Not like some Grimm are gonna get one over on us,” Cardin stated, but his tone failed to match his usual bluster.

I watched him and the rest of Team CRDL continue their conversation; it was like they were trying to convince themselves that what happened should be considered a victory. 

In a way, I envied their naivete. The world was better when I could look away from the terrible reality of it.

But we were training to be Huntsmen, and rose-colored glasses would only blind them.

I gave Cardin a cold, flat look. “Come with me. There’s one more thing we have to do before we leave,” I said softly.

“Ugh. What now?”

I just motioned for him to follow before I made steady steps toward a gathering of families that had stepped apart from the ones that were reuniting with the miners. The rest of Team CRDL followed behind Cardin.

Kids clung to their parent’s legs, looking confused and fidgety. The parents not celebrating were waiting with dread; they knew what to expect.

Cardin and I stopped just in front of the group, with the others a bit behind us. “I’m sorry,” I said to all of them.

I watched faces crumble, some openly sobbing, many hugging one another for comfort.

Cardin stared, transfixed with shock.

Following his gaze, I saw a young girl, no more than six or seven years old. Floppy dog ears of a warm brown were peeking out from her hood as she returned the hug of an older woman with dark hair and darker dog ears, presumably her mother, that had knelt down to embrace the little girl.

The girl’s look of bewilderment left me cold.

I put a hand on Cardin’s shoulder and whispered, “This is why we have to do better, Cardin,” before walking off.

This was a harsh lesson for Team CRDL, one I hoped they would never forget.

For me, it was a painful reminder of how life could be.

We stayed the night at the only inn in the town. It was too late for a ship to pick us up. The rooms were only big enough for two people each, and I ended up sharing one with Professor Goodwitch. 

“Professor, how bad was the damage to the mine?” I asked as we settled in our small room.

“Based on what Mayor Melia said, I don’t know if the town will be able to recover,” she stated with a frown.

“I see.” 

Neither of us said anything after that, both too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

Despite my fatigue, my mind kept going over what had happened.

_ Did things turn out this way because of what I did to Team CRDL? _

Maybe if I had tried to build a rapport with them instead of just trying to stop their behavior with my fists, we would have coordinated better. We might have been able to trap that Grimm, or maybe even kill it, without destroying the town’s primary source of income.

I didn’t feel guilty for what I did to them, but maybe I should have taken the time to think of another way to go about it. 

I had thought that there wasn’t a way to compromise with Cardin and his team’s behavior. I still didn’t think there was, but just because I didn’t see one didn’t mean I shouldn’t have tried to find one.

But that didn’t change the fact that the trouble between me and Team CRDL stopped us from working together properly, and the people of Twin Seams were the ones to pay for it.

The doubts lingered through the night, and despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t sleep.

_‘We have to do better’_ ; my own words felt empty. They were just as much for me as they had been for Cardin. 

I _ have to do better. _

**Chapter 17 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Rakkis157, Orbital Oracle, Majigah, and Scott La Forge. I shall name one child after each of you.
> 
> Russel isn’t Dove’s partner (Not like that… Or maybe?) for Beacon but they are closer to each other compared to the rest of their team.
> 
> When I started this fic, I decided that I wanted to give some time to expand some of the minor characters. Now that I’m editing the story, I can see that idea was probably a mistake. Well, maybe. I did it for the sole purpose of giving them some spotlight rather than giving them a part to play in the story. Hopefully, I can squeeze in some more stuff for Team CRDL to make these chapters… not pointless. 


	18. Sharing is Caring

* * *

_Taylor_

Beacon stood just as magnificent and isolated as ever when we returned from Twin Seams. The ride back had been somber at best, with everyone dwelling on what happened.

Sky seemed the least affected, but he hadn’t seen the bodies. Cardin put up a brave front, but I had caught him staring at nothing. Dove and Russel acted as each other’s support, having sat next to one another in silent solidarity.

Team CRDL would grow after this, but it wasn’t worth the cost.

I was supposed to have been doing better already. Empty words, empty promises.

I had wanted to stop compromising with bullies for my goals, and now I was debating whether or not I should have found a way to work with CRDL to prevent what happened, even if it meant tolerating their behavior. Ends and means. Sacrifices and tolerance. I wasn’t sure how I should be doing things anymore. 

If I wasn’t hiding my powers, was there something I could have done? A swarm of bugs with Dust crystals, thousands of flying grenades might have helped.

We would have to submit individual reports on our actions and the reasoning behind them, something I was very familiar with. I’d written dozens of similar reports while in the Wards.

I distracted myself by trying to run through what points I would include, but my tired mind kept forgetting what I had already thought of. 

There was a barrage of texts from Ruby, with a moderate amount from Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss, and others, all asking about how things went. I sent them brief responses but nothing too in-depth.

I needed a shower and a change of clothes, but my first stop would be rest. Regrets or not, I needed sleep above all else.

The sun had barely risen when we touched down at Beacon, and after my trip to the infirmary, I entered my dorm room just as morning classes started.

Team CRDL and I had been excused from classes today, for obvious reasons. So, I took a quick soothing shower, lay on my bed, and instantly fell asleep.

I dreamt of the Undersiders’ loft, all of us sitting in the living room. Not any particular time, just all of us chatting.

My eyes shot open to a clock that told me I had been asleep for a few hours, but after rolling around for another half hour, I realized I wouldn’t be getting any more.

There should have been something in that dream; a feeling of togetherness, of warmth, of companionship. 

Instead, I struggled to remember those times, what it had been like to spend an average night with friends.

I shook my head and decided to finish a book I had borrowed from Blake, anything to let my mind wander. It was well-written, but I was never one to really get into the shoes of a lovestruck protagonist.

I finished the book, but it hadn’t been enough to pull me from darker thoughts and troubled doubts.

Sleep still wasn’t in reach, so I got dressed and decided to go for a walk.

The gardens always were pleasant to go through. Beautiful, well kept, serene—all accurate descriptions that didn’t quite encapsulate the vibrancy of the flowers, the glow that the sun left in its wake, or the scents that seemed to accentuate the sights.

A butterfly landing on a familiar cane dampened my mood. I kept going anyway.

There were too many things that I was unsure I was handling correctly. Personal relationships, obstacles, and conflicts… The three things that I had the most trouble dealing with in my life. And despite everything I’d been through, I still struggled in how I approached each one.

Hell, I was more unsure that I was improving at all, in that respect. 

I flared my Aura and felt its embrace. Aura supposedly reflected who you were. Perhaps that was why I didn’t particularly like the sensation of my Aura, but at least it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore.

Stone circles housed tables for anyone to sit and appreciate the garden’s splendor. I stopped for a moment and just took in the colors, the arrangements.

This was peace, yet I felt guilty for enjoying it. I should have been out doing something, but I didn’t trust myself to not fall back into old habits.

“Good afternoon, Taylor,” Ozpin said, not looking away from the table in front of him.

“Good afternoon. Do you always take a pot of cocoa and spare mugs with you when you come to sit alone?” 

“Of course, you never know when someone wants to sit and talk,” he stated, setting his own mug down and pouring some cocoa into another, which he set on the opposite side of the table.

“Thank you.” I sat down across from him and took a sip. It wasn’t tea, but it warmed me anyway. A bit too sweet for my tastes though.

“I understand you had quite the harrowing experience,” Ozpin said, an undertone of guilt and worry marring his words.

I didn’t blame Ozpin or Professor Goodwitch for what happened. A regular mission would have let Team CRDL and I push beyond the bad blood between us… probably.

“I wouldn’t call it harrowing.” I had read enough casualty numbers to grow numb to them. I was just… disappointed in myself. Unsure. “Considering everything, what happened was expected.”

“Expected how?”

“Unknown, rare Grimm in a location where we couldn’t properly engage it while also having to protect bystanders. The cave-ins, getting separated. Not much we could have done to change things.” 

The Bukavac was so rare that Team CRDL and I had to submit reports to Professor Port on any behavior or traits the Grimm had, which would be included in an official Grimm index for Huntsmen around the world. We were some of the few eye-witnesses that lived to tell their tale. Just encountering the Bukavac raised our mission rank to at least ‘B’ rank _—_ a level that was restricted to third-year students and up.

“Yet, you still wish you could have changed things,” Ozpin reasoned.

“…Yes. If I regret anything, it would be what led up to the mission.” The things I _could_ control.

Ozpin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before he leaned back in his chair in thought. “I thought that you were quite assured in how you handled Team CRDL in your quarrel,” he stated, seemingly confused by my answer.

“I don’t regret the outcome of what I did. Team CRDL’s bullying decreased drastically afterward, even if they are still dumb bullies. The problem was that, at the time, I didn’t really care how it would affect my interactions with Team CRDL from then on. I didn’t see another way of dealing with the situation that would have accomplished my goal but also didn’t make enemies out of Team CRDL. Or, maybe I regret not taking the time to resolve the issue before our mission. If I had, things may have turned out better,” I rambled.

Once again, I acted as though people should adapt to my actions instead of finding a compromise.

“I understand regrets, Taylor. Maybe things could have turned out better. That’s why we send students on such missions. To show them that they can improve. Although, usually there are less… surprises than you experienced,” Ozpin said.

_Well, damn it. His punishment did everything he meant it to, and I can’t be annoyed at him for it._

“Do you believe you should have been team leader for the mission?” he asked.

A part of me said yes, _demanded_ it, even. Had I been able to oversee everything, control everyone’s actions to my liking, used every ‘tool’ I had, then yes, things would have been simpler. ‘Working together’ as _I_ dictated every action they were allowed to take. Efficient, effective, easy. No chance of someone getting in my way.

It was the same part that whispered in my nightmares about how Skitter had saved Brockton when it was under her thumb, how Weaver set up so many pieces to help save the world, and how much Khepri had accomplished.

Control… I _needed_ it, yet I knew it was the drug that pushed away my friends and led to the monster. 

I sighed through my nose, the only release I allowed. “No... They would have fought everything I said and resented every moment I was in charge of them. Things would have ended worse.”

Ozpin hummed, not in agreement or disagreement. Silence set in as we took sips of cocoa. Two chess players taking a break from their game.

“I thought I was doing better…” I confessed, letting my mouth fall into a bitter smile.

“...I consider myself quite knowledgeable and skilled on a variety of subjects,” Ozpin began. “It often leads me to take charge of many different matters. Yet, despite how much I excel above those around me, I continue to make mistakes and forget things that I know I should have considered.” He stared into the surface of his cocoa, as though he could see all the things he regretted in its surface.

“What did you do about it?”

“I couldn’t do anything about it,” he replied bluntly.

“Sorry?”

“The people around me, they were the ones who were able to do something. I can’t change the fact that I will make mistakes, but having people I can trust certainly helped point them out,” he continued, appreciation for those he was talking about evident in his voice.

“I see.” He was right, and it only reinforced the things I had already suspected. 

I hated it. The idea that I couldn’t fix things. That I had to give that up to others. 

No, _I_ needed to be the one to make the effort. Others weren’t a crutch for me to let my failings continue.

But was I taking the right road for that?

Ozpin reminisced while I reconsidered what I had been doing.

_I am here, on Remnant, but I haven’t let myself get invested in actually staying at Beacon or with the people around me... Maybe it’s time to accept that I’m here to stay… I need to stop shying away from actually becoming friends with everyone and commit._

“Hypothetically speaking,” I began, in a tone that marked a change in subject, “if you spontaneously received the whereabouts of the White Fang and Roman Torchwick’s base in Vale, how would you use that information?” I asked, feigning innocence.

I didn’t know where it was, not yet anyway, but I would soon enough.

“Well,” Ozpin said in a far more convincing innocent tone, “I would pass that information onto the Vale Police Division, and then it would be mostly out of my hands.”

“Beacon wouldn’t send out any Huntsmen?”

“Unfortunately, while Huntsmen are called in to respond to ongoing threats, using them as strike teams for things inside Vale would be…”

“Stepping on the VPD’s jurisdiction,” I finished for him. “Beacon trains people to fight the Grimm, not to be police. If you used Huntsmen for every situation, then the public would wonder what the point of having the VPD was while also questioning why the Huntsmen aren’t out there fighting Grimm. So, you can only send them out to deal with something that is in progress but can’t use them to deal with something that isn’t actively happening.”

“Politics…” he murmured with a shake of his head and a sip of his cocoa.

“Never helpful when you need it to be, and interfering when you don’t need it,” I added sympathetically, which garnered a chuckle from Ozpin. Both of us then sighed in annoyance of past experiences.

“But you are correct, _if_ there was an ongoing situation occurring in town, then the Huntsmen and VPD would be sent out together,” Ozpin stated, his tone calm and even but the hint clear.

“I see. Well, if such an instance were to occur then I can feel safe knowing that the appropriate parties would be coming to intervene,” I stated blankly.

We didn’t share subtle looks or glancing smiles. They weren’t needed; we both understood what the other was conveying. It wasn’t exactly a friendly air, more tenuous, like we were waiting for the other to back out of the unspoken agreement. 

A temporary truce rather than an alliance.

The bell marking the last class of the day resounded through the garden with a melodic chime, just as I finished my cup.

“Thank you very much for the cocoa,” I said, getting up from my chair as I did.

“Thank you for the conversation,” Ozpin replied.

My bugs in the hall caught Weiss’s chagrin as Ruby grabbed her and dashed to our dorm room. Yang stopped and chatted with team JNPR for a bit in the classroom. Blake was noticeably absent, though I quickly found her looking things up in the library.

_Guess I’ll grab her while Ruby and Weiss are getting ready for whatever is happening tonight._

As I walked, I grew more dour and hesitant with each step. 

Opening up and letting myself try to make friends was hard enough, but accepting that I was in Remnant for good meant acknowledging that I really wasn’t going to see Dad or my friends again.

That was a door I didn’t want to close… but I might not have a choice.

* * *

“Blake.”

I watched the Faunus almost leap out of her chair and turn toward me, surprised and cautious. After seeing it was me, her eyes narrowed angrily. “Did you have to sneak up on me?” she hissed.

“Check the clock, Blake,” I said.

“I still have some time until lunch ends…” she started, then petered out as she watched the seconds tick by on her Scroll’s clock. “Damn it. I didn’t mean to…”

“I know. Find out anything?”

“Nothing really. The only high-level members in the White Fang that were active near Vale were me and… Well, I was trying to figure out who had taken over their local activities, but no, I haven’t figured anything concrete.” Weariness dripped from her words.

“I guess we’ll find out when we find wherever Torchwick is hiding out in the city. For now, we have a…” I sighed, a mix of disbelief, dread, and disdain. “A slumber party to get to, I guess.”

“Oh right...” She gathered her things. “I’m not sure how this is all going to go.”

“I don’t think any of us know,” I admitted. “But we owe it to them to be there.”

She paused and looked down at her various notes and books regarding her campaign against the White Fang.

“Yeah, we do owe them…” she murmured, more to herself than to me.

* * *

We took the scenic route back to our dorm, letting Ruby and Weiss have some more time to prepare things.

Yang was making her way around the campus, stopping and talking with a bunch of groups. She never stayed too long, but she was still able to get along with everyone. She was making her way to the library—ah, she was looking for Blake.

“Hey, Blake. Could you send a message to Yang and tell her that…” Where the hell did Ruby get all those pillows? _Why_ did she have all those pillows?

“Tell Yang…?” Blake asked.

“Sorry, tell her that we’re heading to the dorm room right now.”

Blake opened her Scroll and the history of unanswered texts from Yang said enough. 

Ruby and Weiss had grown closer together as partners, which was surprising. The naïve dreamer and the driven, spoiled Schnee somehow built off each other. Ruby’s ideals challenged Weiss and spurred her on, while Weiss guided Ruby in the less exciting parts of being a Huntress, like paperwork.

Yang and Blake’s situation was the opposite. 

Yang wasn’t subtle about things. She either pushed past them as if they didn’t exist, or she charged them like a bull. Quick to anger, mostly on the behalf of others. I’d lost count of the times she’d threatened to cripple Cardin or someone else for insulting a friend. 

Blake was flighty with her issues. If it weren’t for our common ground, I bet she would have fled once her race and past came to light. Yang injecting herself into Blake’s hunt for the White Fang fists first, without knowing the context for Blake’s actions, was a recipe for disaster. 

I would have clued Yang in, but it wasn’t my story to tell.

Either way, something had happened. I guessed Yang had tried to press the subject and Blake either snapped or ran. The tension in the dorm as Blake ignored Yang while Yang watched Blake with noticeable frustration when she thought others weren’t looking was obvious.

_Hopefully, today would also help that a little._

We opened the door to our room to find it transformed.

An obnoxious amount of streamers hung around the room, their colors matching our own. My dull gray amongst the red, white, black, and yellow felt like I was imposing on a team activity.

The desks had been cleared for bowls of snacks, drinks, and a variety of pastries, each atop a frilly doily. A frankly absurd number of pillows had been placed in the space between the two bunk beds to create a makeshift sitting area. A stack of board games was set beside one of the projectors Beacon let students sign out.

Weiss and Ruby were in the middle of frosting cupcakes, and both had changed into their pajamas, for some reason. Weiss was currently scolding Ruby for having eaten the sugary coating straight from the bag they were squeezing it out of.

“Taylor! You’re back! How was the mission? Did you kill a bunch of Grimm? Did Starfall work alright? What was Twin Seams like? Were CRDL a bunch of jerks?” Ruby machinegunned as soon as she set her eyes on me, ignoring Weiss’s attempts to reproach her.

“Mission went terribly. Didn’t kill many Grimm. What’s Starfall? It was nice, but I don’t think it will survive the damages done to the mine. Yes, they were jerks, but I should have done something to alleviate that,” I said in succession, familiar with Ruby’s enthusiastic questions. Weiss reached out and wiped a bit of frosting off Ruby’s face while I did.

“Oh. Thanks. Sorry your mission didn’t turn out great...” Ruby said. “But what do you mean you don’t know what Starfall is?!” Her cheeks puffed out. “She was the product of our love…” she muttered to herself in a heartbroken tone, hugging herself as she did.

Blake choked on a laugh while Weiss looked at her partner agape.

“Oh, the sword worked fine,” I stated, not bothering to acknowledge Ruby’s comment.

“Fine? That’s it?” Ruby exclaimed, astonished at my lack of shared enthusiasm. 

“This is the first time I’ve used it in live combat. I’ll give you a more detailed opinion of it after I’ve used it more. Thank you again for your help with it.”

“Taylor, what do you mean the mission went terribly?” Weiss asked.

“She’s not an ‘it’, her name is Starfall,” Ruby grumbled.

I gave them a quick summary of what happened, letting them ask questions when they wanted to.

“I’m sorry things turned out that way,” Blake said softly.

“Thanks, but what’s done is done. Just have to do better next time.” If I figure out how that is.

“Well, from the sounds of it Team CRDL were less than hospitable, but I also don’t think the problems were really in your control. So, I don’t think there’s a reason to blame yourself for what happened,” Weiss stated.

“Yeah, I’m sure Twin Seams will be able to pull through somehow,” Ruby stated optimistically.

_If only things were that simple, Ruby._

“Now, Ruby,” Weiss snapped. “We still need to finish the cupcakes, and no more frosting or cookies until you’re done!”

“Uggghhhhhh.” Ruby begrudgingly turned back to the table.

“Anything we can help with?” Blake offered uncertainly.

“No, we just have this bit left and then we’re done,’ Weiss replied.

“Oh, but both of you have to change into your PJs!” Ruby stated sternly.

“Why?” I asked.

“How would it be a slumber party if we weren’t in our pajamas?” Weiss of all people responded coolly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. She had taken the ‘etiquette’ of slumber parties a little too seriously, though Ruby nodding beside her wasn’t helping the situation.

I looked at Blake and shrugged, before moving to get changed. Afterward, Blake started toward the ring of pillows but I stopped her before we sat down. 

“Oh, I wanted to return something to you,” I said, heading over to my pile of books by my bed. “You said I could borrow whatever book I wanted, but I think I should give this one back to you instead of putting it back on the shelf…” I said, handing Blake back her copy of ‘Ninjas of Love’.

“What do you…” Blake froze when she saw the cover.

She looked up to me, then to the book, then back to me. The cycle continued as I watched embarrassment messily kill any dignity she had at that moment.

“Y-y-y-ou read _a-all_ of it?” Blake sputtered, dread digging deeper through her voice with every syllable. 

“I did.”

Blake’s eyes darted to the exit and then to the window, planning her escape. Her crimson blush was even more noticeable against her pale skin.

“The plot was good, the main relationship was a bit forced when it started but was fine afterward. A bit more raunchy than I would have liked.” Blake closed her eyes, mortified, and looked like she was wishing for a meteor crash into Beacon. “Twenty pages of smut for the last scene was a bit much though, especially when it’s super unrealistic.”

_Seriously; mud, sand, and grease? Who thought that would be appealing in any romantic situation? God, this was why I didn’t read romance. And having the scene serve as the ending? Boring._

“I—wait—not realistic! What do you mean?” she asked, almost offended at the criticism. Then, an expression of guilty curiosity washed across her face before she held the book up to slightly hide herself. “It’s a little like _that_ … isn’t it?”

“Not at all.” 

I felt bad for the fairy tale romance that died in Blake’s eyes as she looked over the book in her hands. Then, a wave of realization overtook her disappointment.

“Taylor, how _do_ you know that it wasn’t realistic?” she asked in an overly interested tone, leaning in as she did, punctuating the question with a raised eyebrow.

Fate seemed to work against me, as Yang entered the room at the same time as a lull happened in Weiss and Ruby’s conversation, just in time for Blake to loudly whisper, “You’ve had sex?”

Yang froze mid-step, Ruby dropped a cookie that she had snuck, and Weiss whipped around with a look of shock.

_God damn it._

“No way,” Yang denied, her expression a battle between confusion, disbelief, and shit-eating amusement.

Ruby just robotically looked away and seemed to be convincing herself that she hadn’t heard Blake.

“Of course not, Blake. Taylor isn’t the type to indulge in such depravity. She understands proper decorum and knows her priorities,” Weiss stated. I wasn’t quite sure how having sex would mean I couldn’t get stuff done, but I started to re-evaluate the level of ‘experience’ the people of Remnant had for people our age. “Right, Taylor?” she asked, looking to me for confirmation.

_God damn it. I’m one of the last people who’d want to do girl-talk. Even less so when it comes to relationships._

“I’m going to be honest, I’m surprised this is some big revelation,” I stated. “And Ruby, how are you embarrassed when you just talked about ‘the product of our love’?”

“What!?” Yang shouted.

“W-weapons are different!” Ruby yelled in a fluster. “And don’t you try and compare Starfall or my beautiful Crescent Rose to your a-activities!”

Blake was smiling, so that was something. Yang joined her and began to laugh heartily.

“Okay, forget everything. We need to—” Yang started.

“Nope! Nope, nope nope!” Ruby frantically protested.

“Why don’t we settle down and relax a bit. _First_ ,” Blake said, putting emphasis to make sure I knew that the matter wasn’t off the table.

“Well, I know what we’re talking about tonight,” Yang almost sang, looking at me with a devilish smile and then to Blake with a softer, more relieved one.

“Everyone sit!” Ruby gestured to the lake of pillows. “Oh, oh! Taylor, sit here!” Ruby said excitedly while motioning to the spot that was right in front of Weiss’s bed.

_Well, I said I was going to do this. So, here we go._

“I’ll be there in a minute. It’s a slumber party, so I have to change! That’s the rules!” Yang said offhandedly before fishing out her pajamas. I just shook my head.

Ruby and Weiss then brought several of the bowls of snacks and placed them within the fluffy ring for easy access.

I shrugged and took the seat, only for Ruby to forgo a spot amongst the pillows and sit directly behind me on Weiss’s bed.

“Ruby, what are you doing?” I asked.

“So, what is the plan?” Blake inquired blankly.

“Well, I thought we would start with ‘Truth or Truth’, then just see what the mood is like and move on from there. We’ve got games, movies, and other stuff to do. There’s lots of snacks. I kinda just thought we would spend some time together. Oh! But we aren’t allowed to talk about school stuff!” Ruby said, ignoring my question as she started to braid my hair. She was lucky I didn’t have any bugs in it at the time.

“Wait, you were serious on ‘Truth or Truth’?” Yang asked.

“Why are you braiding my hair?” Having someone touch my hair and not be either insulting or attacking me was odd.

“Well, yeah. It’s the perfect way to learn more things about each other,” Ruby said; to Yang, not me.

“That sounds fine… What are the rules?” Weiss asked, before moving to sit beside Ruby. “Also, you’re doing it wrong,” she stated as she started on the other side of my hair.

“Is anyone going to answer me?” I asked.

“I think it’s just ‘Truth or Dare’ without the dares,” Yang said, before she stuffed a fistful of snacks in her mouth.

“Okay… but what are the rules?” Weiss reiterated. I knew the Schnee heiress was sheltered, I just didn’t think it would be this bad.

“Why am I the one getting ignored here?” I questioned.

“You’ve never played ‘Truth or Dare’, Weiss?” Ruby asked, no condescension or mockery in her voice.

“N-no… I wasn’t allowed to play such things,” Weiss said quietly.

_I used to get up early every day to prepare to fight against a threat that was going to end the world. Now, I’m getting ignored so that schoolgirls can braid my hair…_

“Well, all you have to do is ask a question or answer one truthfully. Usually, you say ‘truth or dare’ and the person has to pick which one they want to do; either tell a truth or do a dare, but I think we’ll be fine with just asking questions,” Ruby said, then a light bulb lit in her head. “Oh! How about we ask questions that everyone has to answer, including the person who asked? That way, it’s fair for everyone!”

“Sounds good, maybe do questions for specific individuals after we break the ice a little bit?” Yang stated her eyes darted to Blake for a moment as she did.

“I think that sounds fine,” I said. _I can guess what you really want to ask Yang, and I’m sorry, but that will have to happen another time_. “However, I’m not going to be answering questions about what I’m doing in town.”

“Same here, I’m not going to comment about what I’ve been doing,” Blake said firmly. “…but I am sorry for not being with the team more,” she added with a guilty frown.

“Fine, whatever then,” Yang said quietly, lacking the usually fiery strength she had, her delighted mood souring instantly. I felt Blake flinch beside me.

“I will however”— _If I want to do this right, I need to take the first step_ —“answer any questions you guys have about my past.”

“You remembered more things?” Blake asked hopefully.

“I can recall almost everything.”

Ruby immediately enveloped me in a hug from behind. “That’s great, Taylor! I knew you would remember everything eventually!” The hug was nice—my second one in months—but Ruby and I weren’t exactly close despite how often the girl talked with me. Maybe this was another situation like with Pyrrha where Ruby felt closer to me than I did with her?

“So, that means you’ll be able to find your family and friends,” Weiss said, also smiling. I hid the ache I felt.

“Let’s play twenty questions about my life after. I don’t want to hog all the attention.” _And I’ll probably bring down the mood when those questions start._

“But I want to know if you were a secret agent or a super spy now!” Ruby whined.

“Wait, what?” I asked.

“Ruby thought you were a special agent or something after she found you,” Yang said with an amused head shake.

 _Why_ — _oh, costume… I don’t know how I’m going to explain that one._

“Should we start?” Blake asked.

“Yes! ‘Operation: Party Poppers’, start!” Ruby announced, finally taking a seat beside Yang after leaving me with rows of braided strands running in my hair.

With that, an awkward silence filled the room, only interrupted by the sounds of crunching chips.

I sighed. “Ruby, do you want to go first to start us off?” 

This whole situation was bizarre. I hadn’t ever hung out with people for the express purpose of getting to know them; there was always a bit of business or something to work on.

“Oh, uh, sure.” Ruby blanched slightly as everyone turned their focus on her. “Ummmm, why did you all want to be Huntresses?”

“I thought we didn’t want to ask anything school-related?” I asked.

“It’s not _just_ about school though,” Ruby argued.

“What order are we supposed to answer in?” Weiss enquired.

“Uhhhh, how about we just go in the order of the team name, then Taylor? So, since I asked the question, it would go; Weiss, Blake, Yang, Taylor, and then I answer,” Ruby suggested, earning shrugs and nods of approval.

“Well, I did it because it was my duty to. When I found out I had the capability to fight, there was no question that I would,” Weiss stated.

That seemed odd. If Weiss wanted to uphold the Schnee family legacy, shouldn't she be in Atlas working with the SDC? Or was being a Huntress her way of leaving her mark? 

“There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world. I decided to become a Huntress to try and do something about it, and maybe be an example for others, to show that there is a better way to do things,” Blake said, hiding a turmoil of emotions I knew she was struggling with. I leaned onto her shoulder slightly in support.

Yang grinned widely. “I want to travel the world and go on adventures. Fighting bad guys, having fun, seeking thrills.” She mimed a couple of punches. “Being a Huntress means I can do all that while also helping people; it’s a win-win.” 

I liked Yang less for her answer. Fighting had never been about thrills or being happy for me, it had always been about accomplishing something. For Yang, helping was just the by-product, an aspect I saw in Wards that weren’t real heroes, not in the way that mattered. Or maybe I was just judging her because her motives were so opposite mine. 

No wonder we didn’t really get along. Then again, she was used to being able to talk with anyone, and my social skills were…

“Taylor?” Blake whispered to me sharply.

I broke from my contemplation to everyone’s waiting eyes. “Sorry, I…” I threw a crafted lie aside. No. I needed a bit of truth and openness. “I don’t really care about being a Huntress.”

“What?!” Ruby yelped in disbelief. “You don’t want to become a Huntress? But they’re the best! They’re super strong, go around saving people, and they’re just so coooool, you know?” Ruby argued in a mix between trying to convince me and fangirling.

“I wanted to”—Fix things? Be better?—“help people, and you don’t necessarily have to be a Huntress to do that. I’m not the hero type anyway.” Not in the ways that matter.

Ruby puffed her cheeks and pouted, looking like a volcano about to erupt unless she got an answer that she accepted.

“Now, now. Settle down, Ruby,” Weiss said.

“I’m not going to quit Beacon or take my duties as a Huntress any less seriously than anyone. So don’t worry.”

“That’s true, you are always rather serious,” Blake commented almost teasingly.

“Yeah, I was hoping today would force you to relax for once,” Yang added.

“I can relax,” I said.

“Taylor, I have literally never seen you relax before,” Yang stated, deadpan. “You’re always like this,” she continued as she shifted into a passive yet stern expression.

“Hmmm, I think it’s more like this,” Ruby countered, trying to glare while also keeping the rest of her face blank.

Weiss looked down, trying to do her own impression of me. Each time she tried it, her expression would quickly shift into one of frustration or dissatisfaction before trying again. When she looked up to see me staring with a raised eyebrow, she squeaked and turned away.

“Guys, I don’t think that’s very funny,” Blake stated.

“Ah! Blake! That was the perfect ‘Taylor-face’! It had the perfect mixture of intensity and analysis, with a tinge of judgment,” Ruby said approvingly. Weiss and Yang nodded in agreement.

Blake’s eyes narrowed at them.

“I don’t always look like that, I smile sometimes…” Then again, I had to be told that I don’t change expressions… and had to constantly remind myself to smile or frown... “Okay, I guess you’re right.”

“I think Ruby’s rebuttal counts as her answer to her own question,” Blake said.

“I guess, it’s my turn… What do you all think of me?” Weiss asked politely.

 _Woah_.

“Woah, that’s the question you decided on?” Yang said with a judging smirk.

“W-what’s wrong with it?! We’re trying to learn about one another, and I think learning how you all perceive me would help me know what to improve on,” Weiss stated haughtily.

“It’s just kinda…” Ruby started with a cringe.

“A loaded minefield,” I said, receiving small nods from everyone.

“You’re a spoiled, rich princess,” Blake stated evenly, causing everyone to tense up at the harsh description of Weiss. “But… you are obviously more than that based on your abilities, and the fact that you’re at Beacon at all.” ‘Instead of Atlas Academy’ was left unsaid.

Weiss was taken aback by Blake’s initial words but smiled after a moment.

“Okay, we’re actually answering this one…” Yang started, running her hand through her hair awkwardly. “Yeah, you’re an heiress and stuff, but I think I’m glad that you’re the one that became Ruby’s partner… Uh, yeah.”

“Well,” I began, and Weiss’s attention was razor-focused on my words, way more than the others for some reason. “I know that you are very studious, and you take every task given to you very seriously.” Weiss… preened? “You’re the heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation… Other than that, there isn’t actually much I can add. I’m… sorry. We room together but I don’t really know much about you—any of you, really.” 

I had gleaned things through my bugs, but I didn’t really _know_ them, not like a friend would.

“A-ha!” Weiss shot up in triumph.

There was a moment of silence before Weiss realized what she had just done. Her expression was tight as her face flushed red.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked slowly.

“Uh, I, uh…” Weiss started before quickly sitting down and clearing her throat, covering some of her face with her hand. “Sorry, I’d thought the same things about getting to know Taylor some time ago,” she explained, her hand still hiding her expression.

“Oh, Weiss! You want to get to know us better!” Ruby shouted, lunging at her partner and tackling her into the pillows with a hug.

“Get off me you dolt!” Weiss ordered.

Ruby let go and sat up, smiling happily at Weiss. “Weiss, I’m glad that you’re my partner too,” Ruby stated honestly, with no hesitation or doubt.

Weiss blushed furiously but didn’t move farther away from their now much closer seating positions.

“Even if you are kinda naggy,” Ruby continued.

Weiss twitched.

“And you take almost as much time as Yang in the bathroom.”

Another twitch.

“And a bit neurotic about some things. Plus, you have this look like you think I’m talking too long. The one that’s like you kinda need to poop or something.”

A vein in Weiss’s forehead throbbed.

“Also—“

“Okay, thank you, Ruby,” Weiss ground out through clenched teeth. “But I believe it is Blake’s turn now.”

“…What kind of books do you all like?” Blake asked stiffly, unsure.

Yang looked down at the floor and shook her head. “Honestly, I’ve only been reading comics lately, but ‘X-Ray and Vav’ is pretty good right now.” Yang wanted to get to know Blake more, but literature was not going to be her avenue to do so and she knew it.

“Oooo, is the new one out yet?” Ruby asked.

“Nah, just been rereading the last few,” Yang said.

I turned toward Blake and looked her dead in the eyes, then smirked. “Well, I just happened to have read this delightful book that Blake _really_ enjoyed. It’s about—” was all I got out before Blake’s hand clapped over my mouth.

Blake’s eyes asked ‘why’, mine responded ‘revenge’.

“Oh, was it that spicy one about the ninjas?” Yang asked, and Blake’s head instantly twisted towards the blonde girl. “I noticed you reading it and saw it on the shelf one day, so I thought I would check it out.” Blake’s eyes widened. “I only skimmed through it, but I did catch some of the parts that I can guess are why you liked it.” Yang sent a teasing wink that had Blake reeling in mortification.

“Oh, all three of you have read it. Maybe I’ll have to borrow it then—” Weiss began.

“No!” Blake interrupted jarringly. “I mean ummmm…”

“I think you would find it a bit too childish for your tastes, Weiss,” I lied to save Blake from even more embarrassment. 

“Yeah… too childish,” Blake repeated, fighting between trying to pass off the excuse and being annoyed at the criticism of the book.

“Well, maybe I should read it then?” Ruby asked innocently.

“No,” Yang, Blake, and I stated firmly together in perfect synchronization, to which we gave each other weird looks afterward.

“Okay, well, I’ve been reading comics as well.” She gave a knowing nod to Yang. “But, I’ve also been reading ‘A Man with Two Souls’. It was… it was the book we saw Blake reading when we first met,” she added shyly.

“You… noticed that?” Blake asked.

“Yeah, I love books. Stories of heroes and monsters,” Ruby said, her mind wandering to far-off adventures as she did.

“I-I see,” Blake muttered, seeming slightly flattered that Ruby had remembered something like that.

We all turned to Weiss who looked rather awkward.

“It’s okay, Weiss. We all know that you’ve only been reading textbooks,” Yang stated casually.

“There is nothing wrong with being dedicated,” Weiss stated with a huff.

“Okay, Yang, your turn,” Ruby said.

“Oh my god, finally! None of you are doing this right,” Yang exclaimed with a mix of annoyance and disbelief. “We’re here to have _fun_ … You guys do know what that is right?” Her eyes flashed over everyone but Ruby.

“Video games! Hanging out with friends! Cookies! Becoming Huntresses!” Ruby yelled excitedly.

“Good manners?” Weiss said unsurely.

“A good book,” Blake stated.

“That wasn’t my question!” Yang yelled, exasperated. “No, slumber parties are for gossip and girl-talk,” she said with an evil smile. “So, how far have you all been in a relationship?”

“Yang!” Ruby shouted, a small blush showing her embarrassment.

Blake froze and seemed smaller. I guessed her past relationship must have been during her time in the White Fang, and I doubted her deserting them meant that the relationship had gone well.

Weiss seemed indifferent to the question, maybe even a little condescending based on the glint in her eyes.

“But, just for this round. Let’s have Taylor go last,” Yang proposed slyly.

“Seconded,” Blake agreed. Traitor.

“That means, Ruby, go!” Yang yelled with a pointed finger at her sister, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face at the chaos she must have thought she had unleashed.

“Um… uh…” Ruby floundered.

“She got kissed on the cheek once when someone was trying to confess to her and ran away using her Semblance!” Yang stated.

“Y-Yang!” Ruby raged as her face matched her cloak.

“What? Just wanted to get them up to _speed_ ,” Yang quipped, earning a flying tackle from Ruby, sending them both wrestling into the pillows.

“Really, I don’t see the reason for the horseplay,” Weiss commented. “Personally, I have been on many dates before,” she declared indifferently.

Yang and Ruby stopped wrestling, and both looked at Weiss from the odd angles they had ended up in.

“ _You_ asked someone out?” Yang asked incredulously.

“I have not, no.”

“So, you’ve been asked out,” Yang continued.

“…No,” Weiss said, receiving confused looks from the sisters.

“Marriage interviews?” Blake asked.

“They weren’t common, but there were a few of them, yes.”

“Were they part of the reason you left Atlas for Huntress training?” I asked.

“A very small part,” Weiss confirmed.

“Kiss any?” Yang asked.

“No.”

“Anything more than kissing?”

“ _No_.” 

“Boring… And you, Blake?” Yang prompted, untangling herself from Ruby and sitting back down to face her partner.

“…I… I was in a fairly long relationship with someone…” Blake started hesitantly. Like me, she was fighting with herself to share more. “We were… part of the same circle”—a White Fang member, as I suspected—“and eventually… I guess what I thought was passion really drew me in,” Blake lamented with a sigh, her eyes gazing through memories.

“What did they look like?” Yang interrogated.

“Is that really what you want to know?” Weiss asked.

“Yup.”

“You guys broke up,” I cut in, more of a statement than a question.

“Yes… He… changed, so I left,” Blake said without going into detail.

Yang picked up on the cues because she turned her attention to me with a twinkle in her eye. “And how about you, Taylor?” she asked teasingly.

“Yes, I’ve been in a relationship.” Talking about Brian was… weird. The feelings were far off, but the memories very close.

“When? What was his name?” Yang enthusiastically questioned. “What did he look like?” she finished with a wiggle of her brow.

“How did you meet?” Blake added with reserved excitement.

The partnered pair were both leaning in toward me while Weiss feigned disinterest and Ruby pretended to be interested in the corner of the room.

I sighed heavily. “His name was Brian. We met and dated when I was sixteen. I… accidentally helped him and his friends in a situation, and they became my friends. We started dating a bit later on.” The familiar, distant ache of thinking of the Undersiders echoed.

“I—wait… You were only a year older than _Ruby_ when you…” Yang began, putting facts together in her head.

Yang leapt up and slapped her hands over Ruby’s ears, and the younger girl yelped in surprise.

“Don’t you corrupt my innocent Ruby!” Yang yelled.

“Yang, I can still hear… and I’m fifteen, not ten—” Ruby protested before Weiss’s hands covered Yang’s on Ruby’s head.

“That doesn’t mean you can give her any ideas, you know how impressionable she is!” Weiss defended. “I will not have a hoodlum infect my partner.” She and Yang looked at each other and established their combined front against my ‘bad influence’ with a nod.

“Let me go! I know about s-s-se-that stuff!” Ruby objected, trying to flail out of the two girls’ grip. Only to stop when Blake joined the others in shielding her ears.

“But you should tell us about it anyway!” Blake proposed with a blush.

“I’m not giving you guys a play-by-play. Brian and I broke up not long after we were together. We’re still friends, and that’s it,” I stated with finality. If he could still think of me as a friend after Khepri.

“Well, you somehow made even the juicy bits of your life boring and serious,” Yang complained as all of the girls retracted their hands and sat back in their spots.

“And I’m not some sexual deviant corrupting Ruby,” I started, causing the others to lunge back for Ruby’s ears again. The young girl shrieked and a torrent of rose petals burst from her spot, and I suddenly felt her hiding behind me. What kind of world did I end up in that I was the one considered too… whatever this was. “Ruby can make her own choices about her love-life at her own pace. Also, she’s _mature_ _enough_ to _not_ need to hide behind me,” I said, and Ruby stiffened before moving back to her seat.

“Sorry about that, my big sister-card was activated,” Yang said.

“You can’t just say that every time you do that!” Ruby whined.

“Yes, I can. Big sister-card,” Yang stated evenly.

“So, you can use the big-sister-card, but you get angry every time Dad uses the dad-card—” Ruby began.

“That’s different! And we’re supposed to be on the same team for that stuff!” Yang rebuked.

“I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Weiss said.

“What? Of course it is, aren’t you like that with your sister?” Yang asked. “You don’t team up with Winter to battle against the world?

“Wha—no. We…” Weiss teetered off. “No, I guess we aren’t really like that,” she murmured sadly.

Yang and Ruby both wore a look that said ‘yeesh’.

“Maybe we should ask Taylor about herself now?” Blake proposed, earning a grateful expression from everyone else for the subject change.

“Are you a spy?! Or a secret agent!?” Ruby instantly shouted.

“No,” I stated, quickly shooting her down.

“Family?” Blake asked solemnly, preventing Ruby from following up.

“All gone.”

“Sorry,” she and Yang stated.

“My mother died when I was young.” Ruby flinched before staring off with a look of… longing? Then, her eyes moved toward her crimson cloak that hung from the post of her bed.

“Was your cloak your mom’s?” I asked.

“Y-yes… It was hers first,” she answered sadly.

“I understand why you wear it so much. I used to have a flute that was my memento from my mom,” I said. Probably best not to mention what happened to it.

“Used to?”

“Stolen a long time ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I would do if someone stole my cloak.”

“Probably something that involves a fifty-caliber bullet and/or a giant scythe blade,” I quipped.

“Definitely,” Ruby chuckled, perking up a bit.

“My hair is very much like my mom’s though. I keep it pretty similar to how she did.” 

“What about your dad?” Weiss asked cautiously.

“Also gone.” Everyone grimaced. “No siblings, no relatives.”

“Do you have anyone else?” Yang asked.

“No, there isn’t.” I couldn’t reach them if I wanted to, and I wasn’t sure I deserved to anyway.

“Fuck,” Yang whispered to herself, having a look of pity, guilt, and sympathy. One Weiss and Blake shared.

“You have us,” Ruby stated with conviction, as she came up and gave me a reassuring hug. It wasn’t like her usual tackling embraces; this one was one of promise. To her and to me, that I did indeed have them.

Blake joined in right after Ruby, then Weiss, then Yang somewhat hesitantly.

Warmth, safety, people to be comfortable with, all of it came in a swift rush that flooded through me.

I felt something squirming in the back of my eyes, threatening to come out. My bugs writhed to relieve the pressure.

“T-thank you, I mean it.” 

_Fuck me, these girls deserve someone so much better than me._

We broke apart, and I encouraged them to keep asking questions, which turned into an hour-long interview where I went over things in my life. I didn’t say anything about parahumans, Earth Bet, that I was a criminal, any of my more immoral choices, or anything that they didn’t need to know or would make them think that I was some kind of multidimensional fugitive. Though, I think it would have been hard to convince anyone of that anyway.

They asked about my interests, what my family was like, and other mundane things. No need for harrowing trials or nightmarish enemies to fight and survive through to bond us, just conversation.

“Okay, enough about me,” I said, sipping some tea right after to soothe my throat. I hadn’t talked that much in a long time. “Also, fold,” I added, placing my cards face down in front of me. 

Yang had brought out the cards about halfway through their questions, giving us something to do instead of simply interviewing me. We were using the snacks to gamble with. Suffice to say, I was handily winning, to Ruby’s despair as more of her treats left her. I had a good poker face; everyone else but Blake did not.

“But I never got to ask your favorite color?” Ruby said with a pout, then proceeded to panic over which cards she wanted to exchange.

“Why not just ask everyone? Go back to everyone answering?” Yang proposed as she straightened her dealer’s cap, which I was still surprised she had.

“Well, mine’s red.”

“White.”

“Black.”

“Yellow.”

_Wow, who could have guessed?_

“Don’t have one,” I answered.

“Not gray?” Weiss asked, not looking up from the page of poker rules on her Scroll.

“Gray is good for blending into the walls of a city, but besides practicality, I don’t have any preference for it.”

Blake displayed her cards with a triumphant smirk, causing Ruby to burst into faux-tears at the sight of them.

“No! My delicious friends, I failed you…” Ruby wept.

“Do people really waste their money on a game like this?” Weiss wondered aloud.

“Says the girl that was boasting about her pile of sugary glory before Taylor won it all,” Yang said wryly.

“I’ve lost everything…” Ruby mourned.

“Don’t you have some cookies in your—” Blake began before cutting herself off. She looked sheepishly guilty at Ruby and mouthed a ‘sorry’.

“Oh! You're right! I’m still in this!” Ruby declared, rushing over to one of the braces of her bunk bed.

“Ruby, what are you doing?” Weiss asked.

“Grabbing some cookies I stash—” Ruby started until she noticed Yang’s sharp glare.

“Ruby, you haven’t been hiding cookies again, have you?” Yang asked.

“N-no, I mean, no. Not at all. I just—what! Where are my cookies?!” Ruby cried out in dismay. “And what are these?” she demanded to the world, holding up an energy bar in a brightly colored wrapper.

“They’re a healthier alternative to three pounds of cookies, wouldn’t you agree?” I asked innocently.

“I would agree, all that sugar would be terrible for a Huntress in training,” Weiss stated.

“Yeah, and I’m sure that those vitamin bars taste just as good as cookies, and totally not like cardboard,” Yang added, punishing Ruby with her comment.

“You can bet the stack of marshmallows in your cocoa if you need to, there’s enough of them there,” Blake said, taking a drink of her own tea as she did.

“No! Haven’t you all taken enough from me?” Ruby pleaded.

“I need as much as I can get to bribe Nora. She’s… difficult to get working if she doesn’t have some incentives,” I said.

“I believe it’s my go? Hmmmmm...” Weiss glanced at her Scroll, and I was baffled at the fact that she had searched up what kind of questions were best to ask for ‘Truth or Dare’. “Something relatable… what’s your favorite thing to do in town?” Weiss decided to ask from the list, unsure of how good of a question it was.

“Pass,” Blake stated. Was her favorite thing hunting for White Fang, or did she just not want to give any leverage for follow-up inquiries on what she did?

Yang frowned at the answer, eyes darting to me and back to Blake in a flash. “I like going on drives on my motorbike, Bumblebee, or just hanging out with friends. Nothing secretive or anything,” Yang said mildly.

The last sentence was meant for Blake and me, without a doubt.

_Now, what do I like to do in town?_

I’d lived my whole life in a town. The only time I was ever really cut off from civilization would be when I was in jail. So, I wasn’t sure what was specifically special about being in a town that stood out from everything else.

“I can’t really think of anything specific,” I answered honestly, but inwardly grimaced as Yang seemed to take that as some kind of confirmation to whatever suspicions she had.

“I love going to the weapon shops and just browsing, seeing what’s new and such,” Ruby stated.

“Winter and I used to go to a restaurant to talk when she was back from duty, just the two of us,” Weiss said fondly. “Your question, Blake.”

Blake stilled, and I saw her lips purse as she fought with herself.

“Blake?” Ruby said.

Blake let out a steadying breath. “Have you ever done something that you really regret doing?” she asked clearly.

“Sharing some deep stuff about ourselves, are we?” Yang said. Her mouth opened to continue, then closed, before she shuffled back and forth. “When I was a kid, I almost got Ruby and me killed by Grimm by taking her into the woods.”

“Why did you go into the woods by yourself like that?” Weiss asked. She was the only one who didn’t know the reason, as Ruby knew, Yang told Blake, and I’d heard it through my bugs.

“Well, you know how Ruby and I have different mothers? I wanted to go searching for my own mom, but I didn’t have any clue where she was. I was just a kid. But I went anyway,” Yang explained somberly, more awkwardly nervous then deathly serious. “Didn’t even get that far from the house. Thankfully, our uncle found us, otherwise… Well, I think about what could have happened a lot.”

“Thank you for sharing,” Blake said quietly. The awkward tension between the two continued to build. Blake turned to me, pleading for me to go so the silence would end.

“There are a lot of things I regret. Picking just one is… difficult.” Picking one I _could_ talk about even more so.

My thoughts went to Dinah, to Aster, to Khepri, to hundreds of things that I probably should talk about, with someone, but couldn’t.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Blake stated.

“Yeah, sorry. I think I’ll pass this one,” I said, taking the lifeline.

Yang frowned but didn’t comment.

“I regret not being able to catch Torchwick when I had the chance,” Ruby stated frustratedly, miming some swipes of her scythe as though re-enacting the scene.

“I have never had sour candies before today…” Weiss mumbled shyly, popping another of the fruity treats into her mouth.

“Weiss, I am so sorry,” Ruby said with the utmost seriousness and sympathy.

“How about you, Blake?” Yang invited, almost too expectantly. She had been watching Blake cautiously as though moving too fast would make Blake run away.

“Someone… close to me started to change in a bad way. I regret not noticing it before.” 

_Her partner in the White Fang, and the person she was in a relationship with, judging by her wording._

“I understand. If someone around me was heading down a bad path, or someone was being a bad influence on someone I cared for, I would stop it,” Yang stated. There were too many emotions and possible meanings mixed into her words for me to determine what she was referring to.

“So, your move, sis,” Ruby said.

Yang’s eyes drifted to everyone, stopping at me, before her slight smirk turned contemplative. “I wanted to ask, and I know you said you aren’t on one cause you don’t really need to learn to be a leader or whatever, but Taylor, did you _want_ to be on a team? It feels like you’re kinda singled out, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter to me if I’m on a team or not. I still work with people. I’ll be sent on missions with other teams that I will have worked with—”

“Dibs!” Ruby cut in.

“What?” I asked.

“Dibs, I called it. You’re with Team RWBY next mission.” 

“Ruby, you can’t just—” Weiss started.

“But I did,” Ruby said back with the confidence of a child getting her way without any of the petulance. 

“We’ll see when the time comes.” Ruby nodded as if I had agreed with her request. “But as I was saying, I think a team at Beacon is just practice for how Huntsmen are usually sent out in the field. Lots of teams don’t work together after they graduate”—Ruby blanched—“mostly because they specialize in what they do as Huntsmen, want to stay in certain areas, or want to do different work.”

“So, you don’t think teams matter?” Ruby asked sadly. 

“They do, but I don’t feel like _I_ need one.” That didn’t come out right judging from Blake’s frown. “I don’t feel they’re necessary when you could pick certain people who would be better for a mission based on their skills rather than by teams.” Still not perfect.

“So… if someone doesn’t match up with what you think you need, then they aren’t good for the mission?” The words swished around in Yang’s mouth like she was tasting something odd. Caution and worry instead of her usual fire.

“I suppose.” Our contexts felt off. “Teams are more for camaraderie. And some people don’t do well to team up with strangers, so an assigned team means they have a group they know they can work well with.”

“I see.” Yang frowned, glanced at Blake before staring at the floor in dour thought. “I’m gonna go get some more ice, I’ll be right back.” She stood and left without waiting for a response. 

We continued a round of questions no better than small talk. No one wanted Yang to miss out if someone asked something personal 

Yang had been where she had been for the last ten minutes, in our floor’s common lounge by herself. She was at the back of the room facing the wall, and hadn’t touched the fridge that had the ice, or any of the other furniture. 

“I’ll be right back, I have a quick call to make tonight,” I said, standing up.

Ruby puffed her cheeks. “No working tonight!”

“Don’t worry, it’s not work.” Blake tilted her head, a silent question on whether it was about the White Fang. I shook my head. “I’ll just be a moment.” 

I stepped out of the room and toward the lounge. 

I found Yang with one hand scratching her head and the other holding bits of plaster from where she had apparently punched a hole in the wall.

“Yang,” I said, only to announce my presence. 

Yang twitched and turned. “Y-yo.” She pointed at the hole sheepishly. “Guess you could say I gave this wall the _hole_ nine yards.” She laughed with no warmth. 

“Everything okay?”

She sucked in a breath, ready to deny anything, but sagged after a moment. “I just… what you said, before.” I nodded. “What if camaraderie was the mission? What if I want to help someone, but am apparently not the person to do it?” she asked, almost in a whisper.

“Is this about Blake?” The side-eye glances and looks of concern peppered through the night hadn’t exactly been subtle hints.

“Yeah... Fuck, I hate this.” Yang paced along the back of the lounge’s couch. “Not being able to do anything!” she raged, eyes a bloody red. “I just, I tried and nothing…” She trailed off with a slump. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Yang. What Blake is going through, is something that I went through, so it was easy for me to talk to her about it.” _And easy for me to get her to understand that overworking herself isn’t a way to get the results she wanted._ “I… I can’t tell you what she or I are doing, that’s not for me to say.” _But… soon. I want to tell them, just not yet… I think Blake is starting to feel that way too._ “All I can say is… You would understand why she is doing what she’s doing, and why she hasn’t told you about it.”

There was a pregnant pause, one where I expected Yang to either explode or walk away defeated. Instead, she took several deep breaths and relaxed.

“You’re looking out for her? Making sure that she has some help for whatever she’s going through?” Yang asked sincerely.

“Of course.”

“Good… she hasn’t wanted my help… or needed it, apparently. That said, if either of you get in over your heads, you better come to us, got it?” Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly, a promise of help and a good-hearted threat.

I nodded and gestured back to the dorm. Yang smiled, grabbed the ice from the communal fridge, and led the way.

She marched into the room, a mask of energetic glee on her face that I knew would fall when she thought no one was looking at her. 

“Sorry I took so long. Had to sort through the freezer for the ice to find it. Or maybe I just have bad ice-sight?”

The girls, who looked like they were in the middle of a discussion, paused to groan.

“Really, Yang?”

“Yaaaaang.”

“Guys, don’t be frost-strated just because you haven’t thaw-ght of such cool puns.” Yang radiated victory while everyone cringed.

“As we were saying, before we were interrupted.” Yang beamed, but it soon slipped away. “Surely Taylor would be the tie-breaking vote as an honorary member of Team RWBY?” Weiss stated, looking to me for confirmation. Three sets of eyebrows raised while Ruby flushed. “What? That’s what Ruby said you were.”

The younger girl squirmed. “Well, you know, you live with us, have class with us, train with us. You’re like, the big sister of the team—”

_Like a big sister?_

“Like a big sister?” Yang echoed, her sullen rumination snapped by shock, and her eyes narrowed slightly at me.

“Well, yeah. Before Taylor beat up Team CRDL in the cafeteria, she would always step in between them and me when Cardin looked like he was about to comment about how I’m too young to be here and stuff.”

“Cardin was bullying you?!” Yang’s hands clenched into fist so quickly that she ripped the pillows beside her.

“I-it was nothing bad. He was being a big jerk, but it’s over now.” Ruby’s placation didn’t make Yang’s eyes turn from red back to their natural lilac or placate Weiss’s narrowed gaze in the distance. 

“You’ll tell us if something like that happens again?” Blake asked. I couldn’t tell if she wasn’t close enough with Ruby to show open rage or if she was simply masking it.

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

Yang turned to me. “By the way, that big sister card is mine. I will fight you for it,” she said with faux seriousness. 

“Oh, that’s right! Taylor being a big sister!” Ruby said, suddenly remembering what she had been saying.

‘Will. Fight. You.’ Yang mouthed with an upward twitch of her lips.

I never considered myself the big sister type… or the type of person anyone should look up to.

“Um, she always makes sure we’re training and doing homework, but it’s, uh, different from the team leader exercises Professor Goodwitch puts us through. Taylor’s more... like a stern older sister,” Ruby mulled.

“Are you saying Taylor is more mature than me?” Yang accused half-heartedly.

“Yes.”

“She kinda is.”

“I kinda am.”

“Traitors! All of you!” Yang announced jokingly, pointing at everyone but Weiss.

Despite the lightheartedness of it all, I felt ashamed, just like I had with Pyrrha. Another relationship that I hadn’t invested myself in and had either misconstrued or just let myself be ignorant of.

Then again, that was why I was here today, to start giving back some of the feelings the people of Remnant had given me.

_I owe Ruby for setting this up. A simple get together with friends was something I hadn’t had in—friends? I... guess they are._

“Thank you, Weiss. I knew I could count on one of you to have my back,” Yang said.

“Oh, my silence wasn’t me agreeing with you. Taylor being more mature than you just goes without saying,” Weiss stated.

Yang mimed a dagger to her gut.

“Taylor is also a model student, strategist, and coordinator”—Yang mimed more wounds with every word—“even despite her suspicious gambling skills and explicit relationships,” Weiss finished, hidden mirth at Yang in her words.

“It was one relationship,” I interrupted grumpily. “Yes, I had sex a little younger than most would in Remnant, it’s not a big deal. It hasn’t affected my performance or grades, has it?” I appealed to what Weiss thought was important, anything to get her to drop this.

“…I suppose you’re correct. Just because it is… scandalous”— _Really_?—“doesn’t undermine what you have accomplished,” Weiss admitted.

“Thank you. I was beginning to think I would have to crack open a drink at this rate,” I said drolly.

“You _drink_?!” I sighed as all my progress crashed and burned. Of course that had to be an expression that wasn’t on Remnant, even though most other common ones I knew were. “Are you secretly some kind of delinquent?!” Weiss demanded. I almost laughed, she had no idea how right she was.

“Taylor… is that why you have those two bottles in that bag by your books?” Ruby whispered worriedly, but no one missed the statement.

“Y-you have alcohol here?!” Weiss’s hysteria rose. “How did you even get any?!” 

“You had booze and we didn’t use them for drinking games?!” Yang shouted, appalled at the wasted opportunity.

“They were a gift, and I forgot about them.”

The liquor was as much a bribe as it was a gift, given to me during one of my recent meetings with Junior. Good relations meant better prices. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t in it for the long haul. 

“I could have seen Weiss drunk… God, that would have been funny,” Yang grumbled.

“Don’t be Yang-ry about it, I’m sure you’ll get the chance someday,” I said blankly, getting chuckles from everyone else.

“That pun was terrible and shouldn’t have gotten any kind of laugh! Also, I’ve already made that one!”

“Yeah, but this time the pun was on you,” Weiss clarified.

“You all suck,” Yang said, but even her mirth couldn’t hide a tired undertone.

Ruby inspected her sister. “You... all right, Yang?”

Yang paused, then smiled. Not playfully like usual, but assuaging. “I’m better.”

“What’s the plan now?” Blake asked. Yang gave her a grateful nod for the topic change.

“Remnant to leader? Shouldn’t you be hosting your party?” Weiss scolded.

“Oh! Yeah, uh, cake and board games? Maybe a movie?” Ruby said uncertainly.

The day ebbed into night as we just… spent time together. No more in-depth conversations, no more hidden tension, no more thinking of how to talk about myself while also not mentioning anything _otherworldly_. It was a group of friends, having fun.

After a movie—apparently Spruce Willis was an action star on Remnant, one of several coincidences with Earth Bet that I had taken note of—we sat against a wall of pillows making small talk.

“You know, you never mentioned your own… escapades, Yang,” Blake stated, referring back to our game of ‘Truth or Truth’.

“Oh, totally forgot. I’ve been on a few dates, but they either can’t keep up or are just in it for the goods, you know?” Yang said with a puff of her chest.

“Really? Didn’t you let Indigo Pechman touch your—” Ruby teasingly started before a pillow crashed into her face.

“They don’t need to know about that!” Yang yelled with a tinge of embarrassment.

“You told them about—” Ruby began before ducking under another pillow.

“Big sister card!” Yang declared adamantly as she grabbed more fluffy projectiles.

“You can’t say that for everything!” Ruby yelled, along with a flurry of pillows of her own.

_Oh no._

Yang sidestepped Ruby’s barrage and the fluffy mounds wrapped around Weiss’s face with a dull smack.

“Watch where you’re throwing those, you—” A pillow fired by Blake hit her face again.

Weiss glared at the raven-haired Faunus with cold accusation, Blake giving a small smirk of satisfaction before it disappeared behind a return volley from the heiress.

_This can’t actually be happening… it’s too cliché._

There was a moment of stillness as everyone else put on looks of anticipation.

They slowly backed away, leaving me in the middle of the battlefield, each of them holding a set of feather-filled projectiles.

“Guys, you aren’t thinking of—” A spinning pillow caught the side of my head. “We’re not kids any—” I stepped back to avoid another throw but felt three more pelt me in the back. “I’m not going to—” This time all four of them. As if in perfect coordination, I was struck on all four sides.

 _They’re just kids having fun. Breathe in for four, hold for seven, out for_ —

Another barrage, and another round of snickers.

I took a deep, heavy breath. “I—” I started before noticing the glyph situated perfectly above me. I looked to Weiss to see her holding a small vial of Dust.

The pillows around me slowly began to rise into the air. Strands of my hair rose too, attracted by the pull of the Dust.

I looked straight at Weiss, Ruby grinning madly beside her. “Don’t you—” A torrent of pillows interrupted me as they rained down from the sky, burying me from head to toe in a comfortable pillow mountain.

…

Bugs marked my _targets_.

My leg shot out in a wide kick that hooked all the pillows in its path and fired them towards Yang and Blake. Aura blasted through my body.

With my arm out, I continued the pivot of my hips and momentum of my kicking leg, throwing pillows back in a backhanded chop at Ruby and Weiss.

But I followed through with my spin, jumping off with my standing foot and bringing it up along with everything it could before I flicked the leg out while the other crossed past it. The final maneuver sending another few missiles straight at Weiss.

In one fluid hurricane of motion, I retaliated against my foes.

The sounds of their muffled grunts as their faces were struck was a sweet song.

My projectiles flopped to the ground after peeling from their faces, revealing mixed expressions, yet, they all silently communicated the same thing: challenge accepted.

Ruby moved first, a blur of red petals becoming a twirling corkscrew of pillows as she drilled through the air, attempting to batter everything in her path in a storm of red and white.

Blake’s Semblance pushed her out of the way. Weiss danced upwards onto a set of glyphs and levitated some pillows up to her as she did. I dove out of the way as soon as I sensed Ruby’s muscles tense, barely evading her charge.

Yang was struck by a flowery twister, getting buffeted all over by a maelstrom of spinning pillows.

Ruby spun in the air and landed with her feet on the wall, momentum sticking her there and giving her enough time to reposition her feet to leap off it as she threw her pillows at Weiss.

Blake jumped and grabbed one of Ruby’s missiles out of the air, then redirected her flight path with another clone and returned the pillow to its sender.

I stepped off the dresser between the bunk beds, then bounded off Ruby’s bed to get Weiss in the air.

The heiress saw herself being targeted and looked toward a recovering Yang.

“Freezerburn!” Weiss yelled, using glyphs to prepare a pillar of pillows in front of the blonde fighter.

Everyone else was still off the ground, unable to intercept until they landed.

With a fiery grin, Yang burned with her Semblance as her fist rocketed down onto the pillow stack.

An explosion of feathers filled the room instantly, blocking everyone’s view. It didn’t stop my bugs though.

“Bookworm! Four feet up, one foot to the left!” I called out just as I touched down on the ground, only to immediately jump back up into position.

Blake moved into position, quickly creating a clone that held both its hands up, ready to catch us. Blake hopped up and planted her foot onto her clone’s hand, her uncertainty as to where I was disappearing as I landed on her clone’s other hand with two pillows clutched against my chest. I pointed in the direction I wanted her to send us.

In the brief moment before we were launched forward, Blake and I shared a nod, just barely visible in the smog of wafting feathers around us.

We were rocketed up towards the center of the room.

“In front of Weiss’s desk!” I said.

Blake put her hands together in front of her navel while I bent my knees in preparation. She looped her grip around my foot and I was again launched, this time in a new direction with added momentum.

“Why am I the only one that didn’t get to do a team attack!” Ruby pouted from amidst the feathered storm.

“You’re the leader, shouldn’t you be the one calling out formations?” Weiss commented.

“I can’t see anyone to do that! How are Taylor and Blake able to—” Ruby was cut off as I barreled into her, letting the force of the air hold the pillows against me as they also cushioned the tackle into the younger girl.

There was a sharp grunt as Ruby was sent into a pile of pillows.

“Whhhyyyyyyyy?” Ruby asked weakly from her cushiony tomb.

Everyone else was gathering ammunition around themselves ready to fire as soon as the feathers were less obstructive.

Ruby shot up, sending a wave of pillows flying out. “Middle of the room! Ice flower! Ladybug! Sunrise!” Ruby commanded maniacally as she tossed every pillow she could towards the center of the room, right where I was.

I was partly to blame. If they were going to be calling out tactics in battle, then it needed to be an instant maneuver, otherwise, the enemy would have time to prepare for it. So, I had them go over all their ‘team attacks’ in different scenarios, positions, and against different sized targets, repeatedly.

It also didn’t help that Ruby had shown a knack for knowing when to use the formations. She had used the talent to win a few practice spars when fighting with a partner or with her entire team. So, not only were the team attacks ingrained in Team RWBY’s heads, but their trust in their leader left almost no hesitation for using them, so they were almost instinctual at this point. Now, that trust was their downfall.

The instant Ruby said the words, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were rushing toward the center of the small room. Aura letting them bound to their destination in a single leap before they realized they were being herded, right to where I was.

Ruby had grabbed a stack of pillows and held them to her chest. I guessed she was going to do what I had done and use them to slam all of us in one massive sweep.

So, bugs secretly attached draglines of silk I’d prepared in the vents around her feet.

It proved to be a flawed counter as Ruby didn’t take a step. No, she used her Semblance and pushed off with a mighty spring, singing a battle cry that turned into a wail midway to us when she found her feet tied.

I only had time to sigh as everyone arrived around me, cutting off my escape. They all turned toward the sound to see a floundering Ruby hurtling towards us like an uncontrolled, tumbling train.

Then, Ruby slammed into us.

Everyone was sent flying in a tangled pile. Aura mitigated the damage, but we still felt the impact.

Feathers flew past us with the burst of wind from Ruby’s speed, and when they settled, the room was a battlefield littered with the bodies of dozens of pillows.

We lay there, moaning in pain, sprawled across one another. We didn’t bother trying to get up; all we could do was move our heads to glance at one another.

Yang broke first, followed quickly by Ruby, and I felt their bodies begin to shake as they started to giggle. Then we all joined in.

“Oh my god! Taylor, you laughed!” Yang declared in shock.

“What are you talking about, that’s not—” _Oh wow, I can’t remember the last time I laughed._ “Okay, you got me there.”

“Wooooo! ‘Operation Party Poppers’!” Ruby stated triumphantly, pumping her fists into the air from her prone position. I ignored the operation’s name. 

I looked around at my team, the people I would be spending the next portion of my life on this strange world with.

We hadn’t solved anything, we hadn’t accomplished anything, but I found myself smiling nonetheless.

**Chapter 18 End**

* * *

**Questions they asked Taylor that didn’t fit into the chapter:**

* * *

“Where did you get the scar on your ribs?”

“From a giant saw blade trap.”

“I—wait, what?”

“Trust me, I was just as surprised.”

Especially considering that Bohu somehow made the blade come out of a totally solid and seamless patch of concrete. Not even my bugs could have noticed something that seemed to phase through the wall to slice me.

* * *

“Why were you in that cool costume when I saw you?” Ruby asked excitedly.

“A costume?” Blake repeated.

“Yeah. Taylor was wearing this skin-tight outfit that had armor plates on it. It looked kinda scary but super cool,” Ruby eagerly explained.

“That wouldn’t have anything to do with your… _activities_ , right?” Weiss asked disapprovingly.

“I’m not going around wearing fetish gear in my spare time, Weiss,” I replied dryly.

* * *

“Cats or dogs?” Ruby asked.

“I thought these were supposed to be about my past…” I asked.

“Still important though.”

“I like both. I’ve only really been around dogs, but I don’t think I’m the kind of person who would be around enough to take care of them properly.” Not like Rachel could. “But my neighbor had a rather violent cat, so I don’t think I would want one either.”

Blake gave me a look. I just rolled my eyes.

“Well, what kind of pet would you like?”

_A giant beetle, big enough to ride on, would be awesome._

“I wouldn’t mind a big spider,” I mused.

“Ewww!”

“No!”

“Absolutely not!”

“Fine, no pets for me then,” I said.

* * *

“What’s one thing about yourself that you wouldn’t want us to know?” Yang questioned.

_How many people I’ve hurt, tortured, killed, enslaved. My numerous crimes, shitty past, terrible decisions. How many times I’ve left, betrayed, and disappointed the people that were closest to me._

“Taylor!” Ruby’s voice cut into my thoughts.

“Sorry?”

“You just blanked out for like a solid minute…” Weiss said.

“Ohhh, ummm, I don’t want you guys to know that… I don’t really listen to music…”

“…Okay, sure…”

* * *

“What is the most embarrassing question we could ask you?” Blake asked slyly.

“Good one,” Yang commented approvingly.

_Things that embarrass me… I can think of questions I couldn’t answer because they would reveal the fact that I’m from another world, or that I’ve done terrible things, or things that would bring down the mood…_

“You can’t think of anything, can you?” Weiss asked.

“I… no, I really can’t.”

“It’s like fun just bounces off of you,” Yang muttered under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to the divine and holy Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Rakkis157, Orbital Oracle, Majigah, and Weird Caster! Tremble and wallow as they grace this fic with their providence!
> 
> What a weird chapter.
> 
> So, yeah. Nothing really happens, but down the road, I think I’ll be grateful I did it. I think this fluff will reinforce a lot of the relationships and hardships to come instead of just having the friendship happen offscreen. Don’t worry, we’re going to be going hard into plot stuff, then a break chapter, then some heavy stuff, then dive hard into plot until this arc’s (Look at me, thinking I have arcs for this story. What a fucking liar) end. So, couple chapters of plot, then a break; rinse, repeat.
> 
> Also, I don’t remember if I’ve brought it up before, but Ozpin drinks Cocoa, not coffee. Canonically. 
> 
> I love the idea that Blake is the realist (Besides Taylor) on the team but also has these romanticized views on some things that make her the innocent or optimistic one. A little bit of hope amongst all her frump.
> 
> Also, Blake’s clones. In the boat fight in Volume 4 Episode 3, Blake’s clones have physicality and can apparently be used as Naruto clones for a little bit. At least enough for her to have two of them toss her up. ‘Bookworm’ is just an application of that.
> 
> ‘Enabler’ is the name for the Ruby/Yang ship, but it sounds weird for a team attack name (and the Ruby/Yang ship is eww). Then, I thought about ‘Fire Flower’ but that was just like ‘Ice Flower’. Then, I was thinking ‘Snapdragon’, cause they’re dragon flowers, but they’re not really roses. So, I went with ‘Sunrise’, cause of Yang’s Strawberry Sunrise, and because I almost had Blake and Taylor’s move to be called ‘Midnight’, but ‘Bookworm’ was just too good.
> 
> That laugh at the end, kinda like what happened at the end of the initiation, huh. BOOM, callback.
> 
> Lots of dialogue from the earlier in the canon series that was never said in this fic, and some stuff from the future that was said early. I don’t like doing it, but when the context comes up, it makes sense that the character would say the same thing/have the same opinion. I don’t like re-hashing though, so this will hopefully be one of the last instances of it.


	19. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

* * *

_Taylor_

“Why do you want to spy on the competition for the Vytal Festival? We’ll be taking classes with them for a while anyway,” I asked.

“We’re not _spying_ , we’re… greeting the incoming students from our fellow Huntsman academies. And there’s no problem with gathering more information earlier, is there?” Weiss stated, head turned away to not meet my eyes and to hide the red blooming on her cheeks.

“Not inherently, but exams just ended. Isn’t everyone getting ready to head home and such?” I asked.

“That’s exactly why we have to hang out now!” Ruby exclaimed.

Blake gave me a look that asked if she or I should break the news.

“Actually, Blake and I have some business that we have to take care of today,” I said guiltily, and Ruby deflated.

“But, I wanted your thoughts on the compet—I mean, your help greeting the students coming in from Vacuo. You are the liaison for all of the first-years, after all.” _Nice save, Weiss._

“I’m only a liaison for Beacon students.” 

“I’m sure that they can catch up with all our spying when we meet back up with them tonight,” Yang said, giving Blake and me a look from the corner of her eye.

“Not spying!” Weiss protested.

Blake and I waved as we parted toward our destination.

Vale was in the throes of preparing for the Vytal Festival. Even though there were still months until the giant floating arena would arrive in Vale to mark the start of the celebration, the town was already being decorated and organized for the mass influx of tourists and visitors.

Banners were plastered across streets, welcoming all to Vale. Shops were already having sales to commemorate the massive festival, though it was no doubt a way to make some profits as well. Maintenance robots were on double duty, taking care of the plant life and cleaning up any garbage.

There were also cops at every street corner. The VPD were out in force, keeping a watchful eye out for any possible signs of another Dust robbery by Roman and the White Fang.

“Was that… okay for us to do?” Blake asked.

“What? Not going to check on whatever team from Vacuo decided to come to Beacon a few weeks early for whatever reason?” 

“Not that. I meant not telling the others.”

“I think so. They would have wanted to come if we told them, and they aren’t exactly stealthy, nor do they have experience with stakeouts or information gathering—at least, not the type we’re doing. We’re going to tell them tonight anyway,” I said.

“Yes… we are…” Blake parroted with obvious trepidation.

Based on the locations I had narrowed down, I knew what area Roman’s base of operations was most likely in. 

Technically, Blake and I were going there to confirm the information, but my swarm was also going to do a little bit of direct surveillance to get the building’s layout.

The plan was simple: get a team together, attack as a group, and cause enough of an incident for the VPD and Huntsmen to arrive as support.

Yang and Ruby would be more than happy to assist. Weiss might be a little hesitant, but I doubted persuading her would be difficult in the end. They were easily strong enough to help, and we knew them, so they were an obvious choice even if you ignored the fact that they were Blake’s team.

This all meant that Blake and I would have to tell them why we wanted to handle the situation instead of just tipping off the VPD. Well, specifically, why Blake needed to confirm why the White Fang were doing what they were doing herself. Which meant Blake was going to tell them that she was a Faunus.

“We need the backup, Blake,” I said as we boarded the train to get across Vale. My bugs snuck into the space between two of the train cars. “We can’t take risks with something like this. We’ll have one chance to take Roman down and find out what’s going on.”

“I know,” Blake ground out before letting out a sigh. “Sorry, I’m just… I’m just nervous.”

“Focus on the warehouse first. We need to confirm if it’s the right one or not. Then worry about talking to the others.”

“Well, infiltration is more familiar territory,” Blake said with a small smirk.

Our destination was an old warehouse district that was supposed to store shipments of food coming in from outside the city before they were distributed to local vendors.

After getting off the train, we made our way to our destination. I spotted where the taller buildings abruptly stopped in favor of a large section of warehouses. Dedicating so much space for storage within the city seemed odd to me at first, but it made sense given the danger of the Grimm outside the walls. 

We jumped off a fire escape and landed on top of the tallest building overseeing the district. 

Ten large buildings were lined up, five on each side, all facing a large central area for transport. Unlike the warehouses where I had fought the White Fang, these buildings were painted with reds and blues instead of being left a dull gray. A concrete wall with a black iron fence atop it surrounded the entire district while security cameras could be seen hanging from the lips of the roofs. It had been built next to a section of suburbs, so the upkeep was greater, the buildings were nicer, and it was more isolated from outside eyes.

I handed Blake a beanie and a domino mask before putting my own on. I sent my swarm into the vents of the buildings in sparse amounts so that they would be less visible.

“Are these necessary?” Blake asked, even though she was already putting them on.

“Not really. If we’re right, we’ll be hitting the place early enough that they won’t really help. However, I have one arm and you’re a yellow-eyed, black-haired beauty. We’re not exactly inconspicuous.” _And I think black hair may actually be one of the minorities in terms of hair color in Remnant._ “Plus, if we get spotted, then regardless of whether we run or fight, they’ll probably see how skilled we are, which would narrow the search even more. These won’t protect our identities for very long, but they will buy us a little time if they do try to find out who we are, which is all we need,” I said and scrunched up my hair to hide under the beanie.

“You’ve thought this out,” Blake stated, before frowning irritably as she fidgeted with her beanie.

“I try to be prepared. Is it bothering your ears?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Ball your hair up at the top and use it as a tent to give your ears some room,” I suggested. “I would do it for you but…” I waved my stump. I still could have done it, but it would have taken more time than I cared to take for something like this right now.

“Oh, thanks. I’m not used to wearing hats,” she said as she adjusted her hair.

“What do you think?” I asked, pulling out my Scroll and using its video function to zoom in on the area.

“Nice area, low crime rates even with everything going on. Lots of room to work. Easily enough space to store all the Dust,” Blake listed methodically, her eyes narrowing as she inspected the area.

I was about to respond when my bugs found the correct warehouse.

It was a large open floored building stacked with shipping containers. A line of metal-framed shelves held various barrels that were marked with food labels along with their supposed destination. 

My bugs made out the letters as warnings of its contents being spoiled if opened, probably to stave off anyone curious enough to look inside. Aside from the large sliding doors, the only other entrance was a smaller door located at the far corner of the warehouse from the main door. Catwalks lined two walls with a connecting walkway between them that ran high above the floor. A rising platform that acted like an elevator sat in the middle of it.

Most of the shipping containers, cases, and barrels were sealed, but the ones my bugs were able to enter had Dust, weapons, or were filled with smaller crates that were also sealed tight. 

“The only question is, which warehouse is it, and how do we go about checking them without getting seen by the cameras?” Blake pondered aloud.

“We don’t need to go near any of the warehouses. We just need to get into the gatehouse,” I stated, pointing to the small building beside the large metal gate leading into the area.

“Would the guard working the gatehouse keep a record of their arrivals? If they were smart, they'd scrub the security tapes and replace it with blank footage.”

“Yup, that’s why we’re looking for a warehouse that _doesn’t_ have any regular shipments going into it and for dates when there are no scheduled shipments coming in.”

“Because that’s when they’re most likely to be here,” Blake reasoned. “They’ll still have someone working the gatehouse though.”

“I’ll take care of him. While I’m doing that, you think you can slip in and check things out? I’ll send a message when the guard is coming back.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Alright. I’ll stay up here and head in when you’ve cleared the guy out,” Blake said.

“Right, I’ll text you when you’re clear to go.”

I dropped off the roof back into the alley and walked along the concrete wall until I turned the corner and was out of Blake’s sight. Then, I sent in a Rapier Wasp.

Just like the queen Rapier Wasp I had found before, this bug also felt odd to my power. The connection was cleaner, the bug’s senses easier to interpret, and I could put stress on the connection to make them even clearer. I’d specifically brought this one along to test it. 

Aura was the likely answer, but bugs couldn’t generate enough Aura to produce a visible glow, and Scrolls couldn’t pick up on it. I wasn’t sure if they could activate Dust, or if I could activate a bug’s Aura with my powers at all yet. 

Then again, I still didn’t know how Aura had affected my powers nor the full extent of the changes since I’d woken up here on Remnant. Or if stressing a nervous system could cause Aura to flare somehow.

Regardless, it meant I had a large, scary Rapier Wasp headed straight for the gatehouse. The slightly ajar door made for an easy entrance.

A slightly hefty man with short, faded blue hair sat in a chair, leisurely filling out some papers on a desk in front of two screens. One was likely the security feed, while the other sounded like a soap opera.

The man yawned and lazily glanced around until his eyes settled upon two angry eyes that desired to inflict stabbing pain. He blinked, and my wasp buzzed. 

He slowly stood up from his chair and tried to shoo the bug out the door with his hands. My wasp flashed its stinger, then flew right at him. 

The man sprayed out a flurry of curses as he dodged and ran, trying to swipe at the bug to no success. 

Finally, he rushed out the door, then slowed about sixty feet from the gatehouse. Thinking he had gotten away, he looked back, and my wasp was right at eye-level.

A girlish yelp echoed through the area, and the man fled once more, looking back to see my august of mayhem in hot pursuit.

I sent Blake a message, and my bugs tracked her journey into the gatehouse. The screams of the guard were still audible as he ran through the compound. It was impressive how fast someone could run with the right motivation.

After a few minutes, I made my way to Blake as I felt her leap back over the wall. I got the text telling me she was done seconds later.

“You got it?” I asked as I landed on the rooftop next to her.

She just stared at me with a single eyebrow raised before gesturing toward the distant cries of the guard.

“Just a scary prank I had ready in case a student wasn’t listening to me during my tutoring sessions,” I lied. She rolled her eyes and her lips turned upward.

Blake pulled out her Scroll and brought up the pictures she had just taken. “Looks like you were right. The check-in list has nothing coming in or out of warehouse seven for the last few months. The only thing I saw for the descriptions of new shipments was ‘out of town food supply’.”

So, the stolen Dust had been labeled as food that had been brought into the city. I doubted the VPD was following up on the purchases of every restaurant and market in the city, so it'd be hard to tell that these shipments weren’t actually heading to their supposed buyers. 

“Then that’s most likely the one.” It was. “We’ll just have to stake this place out to make sure we’re right. Was there a date for the next shipment?”

“Yeah, it was stapled to the wall for easy access. There’s a shipment every day except tonight and tomorrow,” she stated with an anxious glint in her eye.

“So that’s when the stolen Dust shipments will most likely be delivered. We’ll have to get everyone on board and come right back.”

“Y-yeah.” She shifted nervously while her ears noticeably twitched under her hat.

“I still don’t understand why Sienna Khan would allow any of this. It seems rather counterproductive to make the White Fang act like villains, even to the other Faunus,” I said, changing topics to give Blake something else to focus on.

“I… Sienna gives a lot of leeway to those who are… committed to the cause. She trusts those under her because she knows they share her goals,” Blake stated.

“That makes it sound like she doesn’t understand that there are many ways of accomplishing the same goals, and some of those methods may be very different from what she would want to happen.”

“That’s... fair. Nothing like this has happened before though. I just don’t know who she would have appointed to lead things in Vale that would _trust_ _a_ _human_ and resort to… what they’re doing now. There has to be something we’re missing,” Blake said with a shake of her head.

“Maybe it’s whoever or whatever has Roman acting strangely,” I guessed.

“What do you mean?”

“Roman’s criminal history. He’s good at what he does, shows a bit of flair and flamboyance, but he's never done anything that would put him in over his head. What he’s doing now has made him one of the most wanted people on Remnant. It’s not his style to have so much heat on him.” It was like how Coil had made the Undersiders ramp up their presence. “Frankly, he’s too good at what he does to be, well, sloppy like this. He’s either being coerced, went crazy, or he acquired something that made him confident enough to take on the world. However, he’s still working too methodically for me to think he’s snapped, and I doubt he would choose to piss off entire kingdoms even if he had an ace in his pocket,” I explained. “He’s also noted as being a bit of a racist, so him working with the White Fang is even stranger,” I added, causing Blake to scowl. “So, coercion is the only option left.”

“But who would have the power or resources to blackmail Roman _and_ get the White Fang to do what they’re doing?”

“No clue. Someone that has a real grudge against Vale for some reason? The amount of stolen Dust is enough to wage a small war, but I have no idea why.”

“Well, hopefully, we can do something about that,” Blake said firmly. “All we have to do now is… All _I_ have to do now is be honest with them.” Her eyes betrayed how little confidence she had.

“They’re good people, Blake. You know it, I know it. It’ll be fine.”

“I know. I just… I _never”_ —i n that instant, Blake’s mask slipped, and beneath it was a girl utterly terrified of having those around her hurt because of what she had done. Just as quickly as it had come off, Blake brought her mask up again—“wanted anyone to be involved in what I did, not if they could get hurt. And now I’m about to _ask_ them to put themselves in that exact position,” she stated with a slight tremble, hands clenched.

“Do you feel that way with me?” I asked, cutting into Blake’s dread.

“No… You were doing this without me. I doubt you would stop if I asked you to,” she said fondly.

“True. But, do you think that if one of the others had the information I had and didn’t know about your involvement, that they wouldn’t go after the White Fang too?” I asked.

Blake opened her mouth, and it hung open for a small time before she closed it, and her thought process was clear in her expression. “You’re right. I can’t see them not stepping up… Thank you, Taylor. That helped.”

“Then there’s only one thing to do.”

“Yes.” Her ears went downward, and Blake’s hands shot up to cover them, before bringing her hands back down with a flush in her cheeks.

“They won’t care that you’re a Faunus,” I assured.

“I hope not, I really do.” 

The rest of the trip back to Beacon was in silence.

* * *

“Do you think just the rest of Team RWBY will be enough?” Blake asked as we made our way into the dorm building.

“If what you told me about the average strength of the White Fang members is true, I think we’ll be fine.” And based on the ones I fought at the docks, I wasn’t worried. Unless there were more like that one with the chainsaw—even after training and getting used to Aura, I knew I still couldn’t beat him in a one-on-one fight without something like the nano-thorn dagger or a solid plan.

“Yeah, I was just wondering if there was… someone else we could ask,” she said weakly.

“Don’t back out now, Blake.”

“I-I just… I wanted them to treat me like I was normal…” Her bow dipped as her ears curled sadly.

“You wanted them to get to know the real you?” She nodded once apprehensively. “Have you spent any time with them to give them a chance to be able to so far? Besides the slumber party, that is.” She paused before shaking her head lightly. “Will you be able to take time away from going after the White Fang to give them a chance?” Again, she paused, for longer this time as she fought with herself over the answer before guiltily shaking her head again.

“You’re right. We need their help now. I… I didn’t give them time to get to know me. I just thought that I could deal with the White Fang first and then I’d…” she said defeatedly, then slumped her shoulders wearily.

“Whenever you’re ready, Blake.”

“R-right.” She took a moment to prepare herself, let out a heavy breath, and her face became more determined. “Right,” she reconfirmed to herself.

We made our way to our dorm room to find our teammates lounging about. Ruby and Yang were playing a video game while Weiss studied at her desk.

Yang turned her attention to us with a blank expression, violet eyes focused on Blake and me as though she was trying to figure out a puzzle.

“Hey guys! How was your… um, shopping?” Ruby asked with reddening cheeks.

“Shopping?” I echoed.

This snapped Yang out of her gaze as she put on a mischievous grin. “You know, for both of your more ‘adult’ activities.”

_So, that’s what’s going on._

Blake rolled her eyes, tension waning slightly.

“It was fine. We’ll take you next time, Ruby. Show you the ropes,” I said dryly.

“N-no thanks, I’ll be fine!” Ruby shouted with desperate speed, which made Yang howl with laughter. ‘Wha—Yang!” Ruby huffed as she realized she had been lied to.

“Our day was fine. How was the spying?”

“Terrible!” Weiss exclaimed exasperatedly, seemingly eager to complain. “First, we passed _another_ store that the White Fang had robbed. Though, I’m not surprised that those degenerates are continuing to show their true nature. I really don’t understand why the VPD or the Huntsmen haven’t gotten together to get rid of all of them before they do anything else.” Blake stilled beside me. “And the only person we saw was some Faunus riffraff who had stowed away illegally on the boat here,” she ranted. “Then, we tried to chase him, but the rapscallion got away. Honestly, it was all a big waste of time!”

_Shit._

Any resolve in Blake’s eyes had been swiftly crushed. Now, they only held a silent plea, one frantically confessing that she wouldn’t be able to tell them.

I sighed. I couldn’t exactly blame her.

“We wanted to stop by and pick up some stuff before heading out again,” I said.

“Where are you going this late?” Yang asked.

“Nowhere, really. We just wanted to check up on something,” Blake stated, too stiffly to sound truthful. She wouldn’t meet their eyes.

“Well, if there’s anything we can do, you just have to ask!” Yang said with a smile, quickly hiding a hurt expression.

“Yeah!” Ruby seconded.

Weiss gave a nod in agreement. 

The words would have meant more if not for what had been said before. Blake would always be expecting a caveat to their kind sentiments, a hidden exception for Faunus. It wasn’t true, but part of her would always be waiting for it. 

I gently guided Blake out the door, her mind withdrawn as she stewed in the renewed dread of them finding out her secret. I led her to the end of the hall before stopping.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

She took a steadying breath before answering. “Yes. I was prepared for that, but still…”

“I understand.”

“I’m sorry for backing out like that. I just froze up… What should we do about backup?”

I took a second to think about who I could ask. Asking Ozpin for backup would probably lead to getting the VPD and maybe the Huntsmen involved, but it also meant a lot of questions, and I wasn’t sure if we would be allowed to participate. That option was out, partly for how Ozpin would act after it was done, and partly because I thought Blake needed to be there. I wasn’t close enough with the other Huntsman teams to be sure that they wouldn’t go straight to Ozpin.

The only other option was…

“Would you be okay if I asked Team JNPR?” I asked.

I trusted them, a thought that surprised me on how confident I was in it. 

Her reaction went from complete refusal, to contemplation, and finally finished on acceptance. “Do you think they would tell the others?” She seemed more worried about her team’s reception to her being a Faunus and her past. Maybe she cared enough to hold their opinions above others. Or maybe she was less worried that Team JNPR would have a negative reaction.

“Not if we asked them to keep it a secret. That doesn’t mean the others won’t find out eventually, Blake.”

“I know, just... not tonight. I’ll tell them later, when I’m…” She let the sentence end with a downcast look.

“Alright. Why don’t you head down to the lockers and get ready while I talk to Team JNPR.” Blake gratefully took the offer with a sharp nod of her head. I guessed she wanted some time alone.

_Okay, how to play this…_

I knocked on the door across the hall from our dorm room and heard some shuffling inside before Ren opened the door. Nora reluctantly stopped jumping up and down on her bed, Pyrrha glanced over a magazine, while Jaune was scratching his head in frustration at an assignment on his Scroll.

“Good evening, Taylor,” Ren said politely.

“Hello again!” Pyrrha called out happily with a friendly wave.

“Hey, guys. Are you busy right now?” I asked.

“Uh, no. Not really. I could use a break anyway,” Jaune said. Ren moved aside and let me in the door, which I quietly closed behind me.

“What’s up?” Nora asked as she hopped down and bounced off her bed with her butt into a standing position with both her arms up, like a gymnast would. Ren pulled out a small sign with a ten on it, and Nora beamed.

“I was wondering if you all would be willing to help me with something?” I asked. “It’s something dangerous and not entirely… legal.”

“We’ll help,” Pyrrha stated confidently, then blushed as she glanced at her team. “Oh, sorry! I shouldn’t have spoken for everyone.”

“I think we’ll need a bit more information before deciding anything,” Ren said calmly, undisturbed by my request.

“Blake and I may have found out where Roman Torchwick and the White Fang are hiding their stolen Dust in the city.”

There was a silent beat as Team JNPR processed what I had said before Nora stood up and walked up to me with a serious expression on her face.

“Taylor. First, I cheered for you to break Cardin’s legs.” _That’s what she had been yelling then?_ “Then you actually _did_ it.”

“Uh—” I started before Nora continued. 

“Next, you helped Pyrrha and me develop the ‘Fastball Special’. Which is _amazing._ ” She almost sang the last word. _Is it possible for someone to have stars in their eyes like that?_

“Not my first choice for a name—”

“And now, you’re asking us to go out with you and smash the bad guys who have been mucking up Vale?!” _This level of excitement shouldn’t be allowed for one human._

“Y-yes?” I was fairly certain I knew where she was going with this, but you could never be absolutely sure with Nora.

She started giggling hysterically before she shot off and latched onto Jaune’s legs. “Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease—”

“Yes, sure, wait—why are you asking me for permission?” Jaune cried as he unsuccessfully tried to shake Nora off.

“Of course we would ask you, Jaune. You’re our leader, and we’re a team,” Pyrrha said.

Ren nodded to Jaune in agreement, and Nora appeared beside Ren to do the same.

“Well… Taylor’s helped us with a lot of stuff, especially me,” Jaune added the last part unconfidently. “I think that we should repay her if we can. Besides, going after those guys is what Huntsmen do… right?” Pyrrha looked proud of Jaune’s answer. “B-but I don’t want to tell you guys what to do if you don’t want to.”

“But, Taylor, shouldn’t this be something to tell Ozpin or the other Huntsmen about?” Pyrrha asked.

“I would rather not. At least, not yet. I was wondering if you could keep this between us and Blake for now,” I stated.

“Just you and Blake? What about the rest of Team RWBY?” Jaune asked.

“…What I’m about to say is a secret okay? I’m asking you not to tell anyone.” 

“What about—” Nora began.

“No one. Not Team RWBY, not the teachers, not anyone,” I stated firmly. I hadn’t meant it to sound so aggressive, but old habits die hard. 

Ren raised a hand to his shoulder-height. “May I ask why?”

“Blake is a Faunus.” That got widening eyes and looks of confusion. “She wants to personally find out why the White Fang have resorted to such brutal methods lately, and Ozpin would likely forbid us from going if we tell him.” Hopefully, I could get by with not telling them Blake used to be in the White Fang.

“Wait, Blake’s a Faunus? Why would she hide that?” Jaune asked confusedly.

“Because she’s worried about how people would treat her,” Ren stated sadly.

“It’s just awful what the Faunus have to go through. I’m sorry that Blake felt that it would be better to hide who she is,” Pyrrha said sympathetically.

“That’s why she wears the bow!” Nora exclaimed.

I watched the collective realization wash over the rest of them.

“Is that why Blake was so distant and absent up until now?” Pyrrha asked.

“She was trying to find answers,” I confirmed.

“Blake hasn’t told the rest of Team RWBY, that’s why you aren’t including them,” Jaune deduced. “Wow, she was fine with us knowing before her team?”

“That situation is complicated, and we needed help sooner rather than later. It’s why I want you guys to keep it to yourselves. Blake will tell them, but only when she’s ready.”

Pyrrha stood up, her magazine forgotten at her side, and walked up to me. She reached out, and I let her take my hand into hers. “Taylor, thank you for trusting us with that, and I will do everything I can to help,” Pyrrha stated with finality.

I looked into Pyrrha’s eyes and I saw unwavering faith. She believed in me and _wanted_ to help. Not just because it was a good cause, but because _I_ had asked.

“Thank you, Pyrrha. Really,” I said, squeezing her hands as I did.

“Then it seems we’re all in agreement,” Ren said warmly.

“You can count on us,” Nora exclaimed eagerly. 

I felt a knot of anxiousness unravel.

“So, when is this happening? And what should we expect?” Jaune asked.

“We believe they are either going to be there tonight or tomorrow. So, we’re getting ready to head out now actually.”

“Yahoo! Team… Okay, that’s a lot of letters to make a color. We’ll work on that on the way. But we’re off to save the day!” Nora declared as she grabbed Ren and rocketed toward the lockers to get their equipment.

_Well then, I guess I’m off to fight a gang of criminals. Just like old times._

**Chapter 19 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, and PastelStoic! I will carve your names into the annals of history with blood and fear! All shall know of you and bow in reverence and resignation of their fate!
> 
> So, yeah. Blake and Sun didn’t meet this time around. Everything else happens basically like in canon during RWY’s expedition. So, Penny and Ruby still meet and such.
> 
> I believe that the Weiss rant is the last part from canon that stays the same way it was in the show. After this… none of the major events in canon happen, I’m pretty sure. 
> 
> The warehouse they’re looking at is the one from Volume 2 Episode 1 that Roman, Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder are in. 
> 
> Just a little while longer and Taylor can finally have her arm so that I don’t have to worry about accidentally writing her doing something like she still has both arms.


	20. Playing the Game

* * *

_Taylor_

“Soooooo, how did Taylor find out you’re a Faunus?” Jaune blurted out before immediately clapping his hand over his mouth. The tense silence must have gotten to him.

The day was on its last breaths, and the streetlights had already begun to illuminate the sidewalks.

“She figured it out on her own. Apparently, she knew since the first day of classes, though she didn’t tell me she knew until just a little while ago,” Blake stated stoically.

“How did you find out?”

“Blake’s ears move with her reactions sometimes,” I said. Also, I’d had a bug crawl into her bow while she was asleep for confirmation. 

All eyes went to the bow on her head, which proceeded to scrunch up with her ears. “Stop staring!” Blake snapped.

“How much fuuuuurrrther?” Nora’s shoulders slumped, feet dragging along the sidewalk.

“Just a little bit, and then we’ll be watching to see if they even show up tonight,” Pyrrha said, having remembered what I had already told them, or at least actually listened beyond ‘beat up the bad guys’.

“So, we might not even get to fight tonight?” Nora groused.

“They’ll either be there tonight or tomorrow, so you won’t have to wait long,” Ren said.

Blake took some strides to walk ahead of the group with a sullen look. I frowned and set my bug-filled crate in a side alley before I moved to catch up with her.

“Ummm, Taylor? You’re just leaving your trunk there?” Jaune asked.

“Yes,” I stated, not taking the time to explain further.

Blake’s eyes flickered to mine as I matched her pace. She’d talk when she was ready. 

I focused on my swarm moving from their container, letting the silence stretch. I blinked at the irritation in my eyes. The combat goggles pinched the sides of my head a bit. I would have used contact lenses if they didn’t always feel like something pressing at the edges of my eyelids. A mask would have solved the issue, but the idea of wearing one was as unsettling as it was familiar. _I’ll look into an alternative later._

Blake broke after a couple more minutes. “I wanted to argue with Weiss, back at the dorm. She didn’t know if that Faunus they saw was actually in the White Fang or if he was just some random person... But then I thought of everything that the White Fang has been doing. How most Faunus have either been forced into the White Fang or have been ostracised for not joining. The crimes, the attacks, the deaths… I couldn’t… I couldn’t make myself argue against her, even though her views were discriminatory. What person wouldn’t see the White Fang that way? Especially in Vale?” she blurted out, all her turmoil from the dorm coming out at once.

“The Schnees have bad blood with the Faunus. And Weiss has mostly been growing up with the White Fang after Sienna Khan came into power. So, she’s been living with her family and members of her company getting attacked.” Blake grimaced and nodded solemnly. 

“You weren’t there for it,” I continued, “but she did condemn Cardin’s actions and those like it. She doesn’t hate Faunus, just the White Fang. I think the line blurs for her and sometimes she says more than she means. It’s not a reason to absolve her, but it is to understand her mindset. She wants to be a Huntress and a good teammate. She didn’t say those things to upset you, and she wouldn’t have if she had known… or at least, she would have put it more tactfully and thought it through more.”

“So what? I’m ‘one of the good ones’ to Weiss?” She scowled and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not saying her casual racism was okay. I’m saying that it’s okay to confront her on her bullshit and work through it. Same with you explaining to everyone what you’ve done.” _Even if it is hypocritical for me to say it._

“Like she’ll listen to me. Especially when she finds out—”

“You aren’t part of the White Fang anymore, Blake. You left, because you didn’t approve of what they were doing. _Then_ , you decided to become a Huntress, partly so that you could make up for what you did. Weiss isn’t going to hold what you’ve done against you. You’ve changed, moved on, worked to do better.”

“How do you know that?” Blake shot back, eyes narrowed. “While I wasn’t involved directly in any of the attacks on the SDC board members, I was still part of the organization that orchestrated those attacks!” she shouted in fearful exasperation.

Team JNPR had absolutely been in earshot most of the conversation with how loud Blake was being, but they were walking a bit further back and pretending not to have heard. They probably had enough context to understand the situation now though.

“Did you know that Weiss complained to the teachers when she wasn’t made team leader?” I asked, shifting gears in the conversation and lowering my volume so that only Blake would hear.

“I—what? She did that?”

“Yes. It was after she snapped at Ruby on the first day of classes. Thanks to Professor Port, she realized how she was being unfair by not giving Ruby a chance. She realized she was wrong and moved on. Now, though getting her to admit it would be... a challenge _,_ Weiss _has_ acknowledged Ruby.”

“I see, I didn’t know—”

“Then, she forgave _you_ for your falling grades and absences after you apologized and said you would do better,” I continued. “She even offered to help you with catching up on your schoolwork, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Weiss can be… Weiss, but she won’t hold your past against you. She’s had the Schnee name held against her since she was born. You know how people see her—the spoiled princess or the Schnee tyrant. She understands wanting to move on. I think that’s why she became a Huntress in the first place, to make up for everything her family has done and leave a legacy she can be proud of. That’s why if you point out a problem you have with her, she’ll address it and work to fix whatever it is.”

It dawned on me that I’d profiled the people I was closest with almost to the degree I had for the Slaughterhouse Nine members. That… probably wasn’t healthy.

“I think I can agree with you. When I found out that the Schnee heiress was going to Beacon, I thought she would be some haughty, pompous brat who would expect everything to be hers just because of her name. While Weiss is conceited and snooty, she’s also skilled. She must have worked hard to get into Beacon and didn’t just flash her name to be accepted,” Blake recounted with an air of admiration.

“So?” 

“Thank you, Taylor. I don’t feel as nervous about talking to them anymore, and talking to Weiss about how she says things would probably go a long way,” Blake conceded. “Even if Weiss does say something like that again, I won’t back out of telling them.”

“I… I’m with you, regardless of what happens.” I knew how important it was to have support in times like this.

She smiled, but both of our Scrolls suddenly beeped before she could respond. Team JNPR froze, keeping their distance and shuffling awkwardly about.

Ruby had sent us messages in a group chat.

**Ruby** : HEYYYYY what r everyone’s plans 4 winter break

_I hate text-speech._

**Ruby** : yang and I wanted to invite everyone over to our house in patch!

**Ruby** : wait

**Ruby** : weis says she’s going back to atlas soon cause she’s boring

**Ruby** : but what bout you both

**Yang** : PARTY PARTY!

**Weiss** : I am not boring!

I turned to Blake. “Thoughts?”

“I did just say I wanted to tell them. This seems like a good opportunity,” she said, looking up from her own Scroll.

**Taylor** : I’m free.

**Blake** : Me too.

**Ruby** : YAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

**Yang** : Party confirmed

**Ruby** : this will be awesome!! everyone will get to meet our dad and ZWEI!!!!!

_Who is Zwei?_

**Yang** : well, everyone minus weiss-cream

**Weiss** : If everyone is going, then I guess I could come as well.

**Weiss** : Also, don’t call me that.

**Yang** : awwwww, she doesn’t want 2 be left out

**Weiss** : That is not the reason. I just think that if the rest of my team is there then I should make the effort to go as well.

**Yang** : you guys can’t see, but weiss is totally blushing right now

**Weiss** : I AM NOT.

**Ruby** : it’s okay there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hang out!

**Yang** : lololol, weiss is yelling at rubes irl now.

**Yang** : we’re thinking of heading home the day after tomorrow so how does the day after that sound?

**Taylor** : That would be fine for me.

**Blake** : Same.

**Weiss** : It would be unbecoming of me to decline when everyone else has accepted.

**Weiss** : Surely that isn’t so unexpected.

**Weiss** : You all understand, right?

I closed my Scroll and motioned for Team JNPR to join us.

“Roman will either be there tonight or tomorrow night, so as long as nothing goes wrong, we should be fine,” Blake said to me.

“Why does it feel like you just jinxed us?” Jaune joked nervously.

Blake’s face was stiff as Team JNPR tried to act casually, but the tension was obvious.

“It’s fine… I’m sure you guys heard about… what I used to do, but could you please keep it to yourselves? There are… _others_ I need to tell personally,” Blake asked, struggling between stoicism and distress.

“Also, telling people about her past could make someone try to take revenge for something Blake didn’t do,” I said

“Oh, of course! I mean—s-sorry for eavesdropping!” Pyrrha said with a small bow, cheeks flushed. “We didn’t mean to—”

“It’s not your fault,” Blake cut in.

“You don’t have to worry, Blake,” Jaune stated. “We know you’ve been working to try and fix some of the things the White Fang have been doing lately. And you’re trying to be a Huntress.”

“From that, we know you’re a good person,” Ren said softly, continuing Jaune’s speech. Nora beamed a friendly smile.

“Thank you,” Blake said shyly.

* * *

Lookouts were stationed on the surrounding rooftops, Scrolls in hand as they idly looked around for anyone approaching. I pointed them out from around the corner of an alley down the street.

“Looks like they’re there tonight,” Blake stated with a mix of determination and anticipation.

My bugs had already marked the people inside and were scouting the area. Forty-three people were in and around the warehouse. Forty-one of them were White Fang members who were moving crates into the three Bullheads they had parked outside the warehouse. 

Roman Torchwick stood idly with a look of exasperation as he shouted orders to the White Fang grunts around him. 

The last person was a very short woman, a little less than five feet tall. She was lying on a crate, next to a lacey parasol, and reading a magazine.

She didn’t seem like hired muscle, but with Aura, anything was possible. No mask or obvious Faunus trait, so probably Roman’s partner or minion. No obvious weapon, so either a hand-to-hand specialist, a Semblance focused fighter, or she wasn’t carrying her usual arsenal. 

“What’s the plan?” Nora asked, her muscles tensed with excitement, ready to spring at any moment.

“Pyrrha, can you take away their Scrolls?” Jaune asked.

“If we get close enough, yes. But they’re too spread out for me to get more than one of them right now,” Pyrrha stated.

“That’ll be fine. We’re planning on making a commotion anyway. If we take out the guard that’s watching the wall behind the warehouse, then we should be able to get in before the others notice anything’s up,” I said.

“Then Ren and I will take out the guard right as Pyrrha gets his Scroll,” Blake suggested, receiving an agreeing nod from Ren.

“What about when we’re inside? What do you want us to do?” Jaune asked.

“Blake and I will go for Roman if he’s there. If not, we’ll head for whoever’s in charge. You guys will need to deal with the grunts, so we don’t get swarmed. If you can, take out any vehicles they have first, so they can’t escape,” I said. “Jaune, we’ve gone over situations like this, so you should know what to do.” 

“Right. Don’t get surrounded. Don’t get cornered. Don’t let them use their numbers effectively,” Jaune listed robotically, a haunted look passing over his eyes from recollecting how many times I had him repeat those tips. Good, it meant he knew them by heart.

“You discussed a plan with your team?”

“Uh, yeah. I think we know how we’re going to do this. We’re, uh, gonna go around, jump onto the ships for cover, uh, smash them up, then, see how they’re grouping and go from there?” He had started fine, but sounded like he was looking for my approval by the end. 

I glanced at the rest of his team. “Any of you have any objections with that?” They all shook their heads. “Neither do I.” I met Jaune’s eyes. “You can do this, Jaune. There was a reason you were put in charge of your team. I’ve seen it.” I meant it too, he had a knack for bringing out and using his team’s strengths. 

“Oh... huh. Thanks, Taylor!” He looked a little flustered, and Pyrrha was beaming.

“Most importantly, if things get bad, get out. You’re more of a liability if you’re in over your head. There will be a lot of them, but I don’t think they’ll be particularly tough,” I said. “Also, we’ll be surrounded by crates of Dust, so be careful with your aim and where you’re hitting people toward.” I gave Nora a pointed look, and she saluted in return. “I’ll be messaging the authorities as soon as we start, so if it goes bad, we just have to hold out until they arrive.” Which meant we only had so much time to find out what was really going on.

I nodded to Jaune, who waved his hand for the start signal. Blake went first, and Ren followed, both moving swiftly and silently toward their prey. Then, the guard’s Scroll flew toward Pyrrha with a subtle yank of her Semblance, and a blur of green and black descended on the unsuspecting lookout.

Pyrrha handed me the Scroll as we rushed to join the others. 

No password. _Amateur_.

Still, we only had so much time before the other lookouts noticed one of them was missing.

I quickly sent everything I could find on the White Fang member’s Scroll to my own before sending my prewritten message to Ozpin.

Two of the lookouts were observing our intended landing spot, but a couple of bugs assailed them just in time for us to leap down behind the warehouse.

A few moments of silence went by before we sighed in relief. No eyes on us yet.

“I can’t believe I made that jump,” Jaune whispered in amazement.

“It’s because of all your hard work,” Pyrrha stated encouragingly.

“Three Bullheads in front. You guys head straight for those while Blake and I slip in,” I directed.

A collective nod was our signal to move.

“Pyrrha, take one. Nora, another. Ren and I will hit the other one,” Jaune stated as we jumped to the top of the warehouse and dashed across it.

The roofs were tiered to allow for windows along the catwalks of the warehouses. They provided a good amount of cover from the opposite side, but we were clearly visible to anyone looking our way.

Then again, it didn’t matter if the lookouts spotted us now; they wouldn’t be able to give any warnings fast enough to stop us.

“Come on, you mutts. We’re getting a big shipment in tomorrow, so we need to make some room. Hey, you! Bring me the shipping manifest, and for god’s sake, grab the right one this time. I know you lot love playing fetch, but we’re on the clock here,” Roman demanded, and the White Fang members begrudgingly got to work. 

Blake and I stopped in front of a window that led onto the catwalk of the warehouse as the others continued across the roof. Her brow furrowed, and her ears twitched whenever Roman made a racist remark. 

“Blake, I might say some… questionable things to Roman to try to get him to talk. Just play along,” I said.

Blake raised a brow quizzically but nodded.

Nora’s gleeful laughter and the crunch of metal was our sign to break through the window. Two more explosions followed by angry shouts resonated throughout the area.

“What the hell is going on?!” Roman yelled as he looked out the main door of the building to see Team JNPR standing on top of the now-broken Bullheads.

Roman sighed, taking the time to tap loose ash from his lit cigar. “You know, I’m getting _real_ tired of eventful evenings,” Roman said sardonically.

“And I expected you to be less messy than you’ve been. I guess we’re both disappointed,” I shot back from atop the catwalk. For types like Roman, you had to play their game to get them to talk, because criminals like Roman _loved_ the sound of their own voice. 

Roman turned toward me and glared. His short partner set her magazine down with a look of annoyance and sat up. 

I hadn’t heard of anyone that matched her description. Pink with white streaks for the right side of her hair, brown on the left. Heterochromatic eyes; the same shades of brown and pink as her hair.

The strange girl blinked, and both her eyes were now brown.

_Did that have something to do with her Semblance? Like how Yang’s eyes change_ _—_ _wait, now one of her eyes is white! Is she actively using her Semblance right now?_

The grunts in the warehouse froze as they watched the exchange.

“I’ve got this whole kingdom running scared, lefty. Gotten away clean with every job. So, don’t go off spouting things that are obviously too complicated for you to figure out,” he replied smoothly. 

_If only he knew._ “I would actually call myself rather knowledgeable about all this, enough to know when someone’s being undervalued.” He paused a drag of his cigar while Blake looked confused. “I want to offer you a deal, Roman.”

“Oh? Think you’re ready to talk at the big kid’s table?”

Outside, swarms of the White Fang members were being steamrolled by Team JNPR. I knew that people who trained their Aura instead of just having it unlocked were stronger, but the difference, even for just first-year students, was absurd. 

Jaune advanced on a squad firing at him, blocking their shots with his shield, while Ren followed behind, firing at anyone trying to flank them.

“Nora, Pyrrha!” Jaune called out, and Pyrrha leapt into the air toward Nora.

Pyrrha crouched on her shield as she slowly dropped toward her teammate while Nora spun around with her hammer, building momentum with every rotation.

“Fastball!” Nora yelled out. _Did they have to yell it out every time?_

“Special!” Pyrrha finished, just before Nora struck Pyrrha’s shield with all her strength, sending Pyrrha rocketing towards the cluster of White Fang members. She brought her shield back up just in time to slam into them.

To liken what happened next to a bowling ball barrelling over a set of pins would be an understatement. A better comparison would be a cannonball crashing through a series of walls as Pyrrha annihilated the group of criminals. Their bodies ricocheted off the missile that was Pyrrha while their bodies left cracks and imprints from their points of impact. 

They were not getting back up.

Pyrrha landed in a roll within view from the warehouse’s main doors.

“How are things going?” I shouted casually to her.

Pyrrha took a moment to glower at Roman before turning to me. “Things are going well,” she called out before she spun around, knocking a scimitar away with her shield and riposting with a straight jab that sent the White Fang grunt flying into another member behind him.

“Useless mutts,” Roman murmured. “Though, it is the oh-so-special Mistral Champion. Honestly, not impressed. Neo.”

The short girl behind him rolled her eyes then put on a confident smirk. She grabbed her parasol and strutted outside straight toward Pyrrha.

“Now, as I was saying, I would like to hire you,” I stated passively to Roman. My bugs caught Blake stiffen beside me.

“I—you want to _what_?”

“Thirty million Lien upfront, plus a monthly retainer, then we’ll negotiate pay for each job.”

Of course, I didn’t have any intention of actually paying for his services. That much money for one person was absurd, not that I had even close to that amount anyway. His reaction was what I wanted.

“Thirty. Million. Just as a start?” he asked, obviously intrigued. Then he shook his head, and I caught a look of disappointment being replaced by his usual sly smirk. “I’m flattered; at least someone understands my worth, but I’m already on the winning team, and I don’t plan to get off of it.”

“More like you _can’t_ get off it. Who’s holding your leash, Roman?” I asked with a slight edge of condescension. “There has to be _someone_ who’s got you and the White Fang in their pocket for the two of you to be working together.”

“If you haven’t noticed, _I’m_ the one holding the leash, thank you very much,” Roman sneered and waved a hand at the White Fang grunts.

“Of course. I’m sure your _master_ enjoys letting you out for these walks too,” I stated derisively. Roman twitched scornfully, and I knew my suspicions were right. “We both know only an idiot would turn down that kind of money. Not to mention how much attention you’re drumming up.”

“To be fair, I do deserve everyone’s attention,” he said with a smirk, every bit the diva his reputation made him out to be.

“You’re not stupid, Roman. All I want to know is who I’m actually playing against.”

“You’re out of your league here, kid. And I’ve run out of patience,” he snapped. “Kill—”

“Brothers and sisters of the White Fang! Why are you doing this?!” Blake demanded, almost desperately. She stepped forward and undid the ribbon hiding her cat ears. “You’re working with this _scum_ ”—she drew her sword and pointed it at Roman—“attacking Faunus-run businesses, murdering those that get in your way. How is this supposed to benefit the Faunus?!”

The White Fang members shuffled slightly but didn’t answer.

“The White Fang and I are in a mutually beneficial arrangement here, kitten. Fighting against a common enemy. Right now, that just happens to be _you_ ,” Roman snarked. “Enough of this, get them!” The White Fang members glanced at each other, then drew their weapons.

They moved into firing positions and aimed rifles at us. Roman raised his cane, and a small iron sight popped out of the end. Of course the cane was also a gun.

_I guess we’ll have to find out more of what’s happening after we capture them._

Blake used her Semblance and pushed herself left, shooting Gambol Shroud to implant it in the roof. She jumped and swung down like a pendulum to kick one of the grunts into the others. 

I dove off the catwalk, gunfire and a single fiery explosion blasting apart the catwalk behind me, and landed in an aisle between shelves.

The shelves were just metal frames that held small kegs, and I wasn’t particularly hidden in them, so the White Fang members had no trouble targeting me. 

“What are you animals doing?!” Roman shouted. “If you hit the Dust you’ll blow us all to hell!”

The grunts holstered their guns and drew scimitars. They came charging at me from each side of the aisle while Blake made sure the ones she had kicked stayed down.

Four months ago, I would have been hard-pressed to defeat more than one at a time. Now, they seemed to move so _slowly_. 

A downward chop to my right shoulder from the first grunt never connected as I stabbed him in the gut, his Aura catching the blow but failing to prevent him flying into the others behind him.

At the same time, I extended Starfall into its polearm form, the hilt smashing into the stomach of the grunt attempting to skewer me from behind, which in turn pushed him into the others behind him.

I jumped over the sprawled gang members in front of me so that I was out of the confined space of the aisles. Now, I wasn’t restricted in my movement, but they would all be funneled toward me.

The first lunged desperately forward with a jab meant to disembowel me. 

The butt of my weapon slapped it aside with a backhanded swing, and I followed through to slash him, slamming the blade against his exposed side and knocking him away. 

The next grunt charged with a ferocious battle cry, but I had kept whirling after my previous strike and a revolving kick to the temple sent them away.

I leapt with my kicking leg still in the air as a harsh horizontal slash cut through the space I had just been in, then I shoved the blade end of my polearm into the ground and swung around it to deliver a kick to my attacker. 

A spider crawled out of my sleeve and deftly scurried down to wait by the trigger mechanism of Starfall as I landed back on the ground.

Instead of pulling Starfall out of the ground, I kicked the back of the blade as hard as I could, sending a shower of concrete at my attackers as it dislodged from the floor. 

Then, I tossed it high into the air before grabbing it right above the butt of the polearm and had my spider pull the trigger. 

The flat of the blade came down on the four gang members in front of me, the enhanced weight and force of the blow crushing them into the ground. Had I not turned the blade to the side, I would most likely have cleaved one or two of them in half.

After a few seconds, Starfall lightened as the Gravity Dust wore off. I stood and retracted it back into a regular sword.

One Huntsman was easily worth a hundred of these untrained grunts. I was starting to understand how high-level Brutes felt when they plowed into a group of unpowered mooks.

The groans of the White Fang members were overtaken by the constant ring of steel against steel as Blake and Roman traded blows.

Roman spun with the force of Blake’s diagonal chop, letting him flow and weave about in tight, controlled circles as he consistently knocked Blake’s rapid slashes aside, before he suddenly stepped forward and punched her hard in the stomach. 

The bugs I had on Blake heard her wheeze before Roman followed the blow up with a two-handed baseball swing of his cane.

The brutal attack phased through the image of Blake as the clone flashed out of existence. Blake’s Semblance had pushed her down into a crouch in front of Roman, ready to stab at his exposed belly.

Roman pressed a button on his cane and the curved handle rocketed downward, smashing into Blake’s hand as she attacked before a front kick sent her rolling back with a grunt of pain.

_Damn, Roman’s a much better fighter than I expected him to be. Too much for me to handle head-on._

I grabbed one of the Dust kegs and ripped the top of it off, before dumping the contents onto the floor. I pressed the lid back on before charging toward Roman.

“Hey, Roman!” I called out.

“Ugh! How can it be so difficult to kill two—” Roman began but was cut short as he noticed the keg under my arm.

“Catch!” I threw the small barrel as hard as I could at him.

“You idiot! Are you trying to get us all killed?!” 

Roman cradled the keg to lightly catch it, right before I cut straight through it and across his chest. 

Roman hissed in pain as he caught my follow-up slash with his cane, and with a quick twirl of his wrist, brushed it aside, only to be hit by a glancing shot from Blake.

“Now, you’ve gone from annoyances to _pests_.”

Blake moved up to flank Roman. There was nowhere for him to escape now.

* * *

_Pyrrha_

I rolled to a stop and spotted Taylor and Blake through the warehouse doors standing on a catwalk over Roman Torchwick. 

The man even _looked_ oily.

“How are things going?” Taylor called down to me, seemingly not worried for us. Not in an uncaring way, but in a way that felt like she didn’t _need_ to be concerned. She had confidence in us. It was nice. 

I saw Roman glance at all his fallen men around the area behind me, then scoff. He didn’t care about them at all. I didn’t understand how someone could be so callous. 

“Things are going well,” I assured Taylor before spinning to knock away an attack from another White Fang member. I followed up with a light jab, but it was still enough to send him into another of the brutes behind him.

Roman murmured something that I was too far away to hear. “Though, it is the oh-so-special Mistral Champion. Honestly, not impressed. Neo.” 

_Neo?_

A moment later, a short woman holding an umbrella walked into view and slowly sauntered toward me. An accomplice then. She was in no hurry, the subtle clicks of her heels making it easy to mark her position. 

This ‘Neo’ was either very arrogant, or confident in her abilities. Roman thought she could fight me, even after recognizing who I was. 

With what time I had before Neo finally crossed the distance to me, I quickly looked over to see how the others were doing. 

Jaune had just flung Ren off his shield to accelerate Ren’s whirling dervish. Ren was a bladed tornado as he sent three gang members flying back. 

_Jaune is doing well. I’m glad. This is his chance to see how much he’s improv_ — _Jaune_!

My heart almost stopped as another gang member dived into Jaune’s blind spot right after his throw. Before I could even warn him, Jaune took two slashes across his back, and he gasped in pain. 

I had never been so thankful for Jaune having so much Aura as he took the blows and kept moving.

Jaune twisted around, just in time to block a crossing slash from the dual-wielding White Fang member that had attacked him.

I fired a few rounds to divert a rifle pointed at Nora, but kept an eye on Jaune in case anything else might happen.

The dual wielder followed up with a brutal double chop, with enough strength that it brought Jaune to his knees from the effort of blocking. 

The gang member growled in victory as his blades pressed harder against Jaune’s shield.

Then, Jaune repositioned his weight and arm. I had seen him practicing the move, and when he wasn’t with one of the others that Taylor had recommended he work with, I had helped him go through the maneuver.

He shifted sideways and retracted his shield into the shape of a sheath. 

The White Fang member stumbled forward with the sudden lack of resistance as his blades passed on either side of his foe. 

Jaune sprung up, hitting the grunt right in the middle of his face with his sheath. I fought the urge not to clap or cheer. I was so proud, but didn’t want to distract him.

The grunt staggered, raising his swords clumsily for another attack, before he toppled over.

Jaune looked down at his knocked-out opponent. Even without seeing him, I could practically feel his disbelief of his own ability. Soon, he’d see what the rest of us did: potential.

Unfortunately, I had to fire a few rounds to stop another grunt from taking advantage of Jaune’s pause, but he was still making progress!

A series of pink explosions rained down on another group of gang members.

Nora was too strong for them to block the swings of her hammer, so they decided to keep their distance and fire at her. 

This only made Nora switch her weapon into its grenade launcher form and devastate them from afar, smiling the entire time. I didn’t think I would ever know how she had so much fun in everything she did.

Neo stopped ten feet away. A ring of defeated White Fang members I had bowled over before formed an impromptu arena around us. 

I got into a ready stance as the short woman sized me up, not worried at all. She threw her hip out and smirked, her parasol resting comfortably on her shoulder. A taunt.

She hadn’t said anything… Didn’t bad guys always start with mocking or revealing their grand plan? The opponents I’d faced in tournaments and exhibition matches who played pretend ‘villains’ as a gimmick always did that. Heels? I had never understood the appeal. The criminals on TV also did it, though I hadn’t ever really had the time to watch many programs.

“Sorry, you aren’t going to yell or monologue at me?” I asked curiously. 

Neo gave me a very obvious look up and down before motioning to my outfit, then she made a ‘so-so’ gesture with her hand while making a face of disapproval.

“Uh—I—you—” This was the one outfit I had picked that my tournament manager’s image team had approved. I was rather proud of it! It looked nice, didn’t it?

I glared and Neo’s smirk returned in full force. I had been somewhat excited to fight someone that might be a challenge, but of course that person had to be rude enough to sour any anticipation I had.

I fired a shot and shifted into a spear, accelerating the change in the weapon’s form as well as adding power to her thrust. 

Neo moved with a surprising amount of speed and jabbed her parasol forward, opening it so the canopy pushed Miló’s stab to the ground. 

Then, Neo nimbly stepped onto the tip of the spear and held it under her heeled boot. She closed the parasol and had the nerve to mime a yawn.

If she wasn’t so apparently rude and cocky, I might be enjoying a fight against someone so skilled. 

I didn’t pull my weapon away. Instead, I pivoted to face away from Neo, and dipped my right shoulder under my weapon. Using Miló as a fulcrum, I pulled down on the end of my spear, launching Neo up into the air.

The small criminal used the momentum and backflipped, then opened her parasol to slow her fall. _An impressive recovery._

I threw Akoúo̱ with a twirl, then continued my rotation while taking another step toward my opponent.

Neo was forced to retract her parasol to knock the flying shield aside, causing her to descend normally again. 

Neo’s eyes widened as she fell into the perfect range for my spinning two-handed spear strike to crash against her blocking parasol.

I could feel how light she was with my attack, and she went flying backward to slam into one of the wrecked Bullheads. 

I was slightly worried I had hurt her—though, since she was a criminal, maybe not _that_ worried. 

Neo got up and patted off some dirt scuffs, and her expression morphed into one of contempt.

Now, I knew the fight was on. I took a few steps forward and stomped down on the side of Akoúo̱ to send it flipping up into the air before it latched onto my arm with a subtle use of my Semblance—I had spent a long time getting that down. 

I gave Neo a smirk of her own, then immediately regretted it. It was rather petty to be smug about getting a hit on her… Then again, it was okay to be a little petty to the bad guys, right?

I waited for the Neo to approach, baiting her with an opening in my stance that exposed my left hip.

Suddenly, Neo seemed to fade away, like water washing away ink. 

Before I could even look around, I felt a heavy blow to my hip that sent me sprawling, but a quick swipe at the ground with Akoúo̱ corrected my momentum so that I could land on my feet. 

Aura hummed over the dull pain echoing through my side. 

Neo kept her foot out, as if to show off what she had hit me with, before settling back into another relaxed stance. 

_A teleporting Semblance?_

I changed Miló into its rifle form and aimed, though Neo didn’t seem concerned in the slightest as she looked down the barrel of my gun.

This might be more difficult than I had thought.

* * *

_Taylor _

Even with Blake with me, Roman was proving a difficult opponent. He made minimal movements while dodging and attacking. Quick and precise strikes that wore at the opponent. If it was just me fighting him, I doubted I could have hit him with my sword at all.

Roman’s cane danced around him like lightning in a storm, spinning and battering away our strikes, but there were simply too many attacks for him to deflect. Most were only glancing blows, but they were adding up. He couldn’t counter without leaving himself open for one of us.

He was constantly trying to slip away so that the two of us weren’t on either side of him, but the moment I felt his muscles shift, I moved to block his path. Blake used her Semblance to do the same.

Despite his quick and seemingly light attacks, my arm and shins were completely numb from blocking. We were chipping at his Aura, but he was cutting into ours too. 

The amount of Aura I was using to keep up with him and Blake was adding up. We needed to do something before I was taken out of the fight.

His cane went down and smacked Blake’s cleaver aside, then he spun it from the handle with enough force that it deflected my sword along with Blake’s other blade with its spin. 

Roman took the chance to pivot forward and sucker-punch Blake in the face, causing her to stagger back.

I extended Starfall and brought it down on his head. 

He caught the swing with his cane and was about to deflect it before I pulled the trigger. 

Starfall lived up to its name as the Gravity Dust activated, slamming the blade down and forcing Roman to use both hands to brace against the sheer weight of the blow.

Roman’s arms trembled against the weight while I placed my foot on the butt of Starfall to brace it against the floor. Next, I let go of my sword, letting its weight and my foot keep it locked with Roman.

Roman’s eyes widened in surprise as I punched him across the jaw.

Now, I was weaponless, an easy target.

Thankfully, Blake’s spinning roundhouse sent his bowler hat flying and removed any chance for him to capitalize on the opportunity.

I punched at Roman’s stomach, which he easily swatted away despite his lack of balance, and even with his compromised stance, he countered with a sharp kick that felt like a sledgehammer to my side. 

The pain was worth it, as my attack prevented him from getting a grip on his cane.

Gambol Shroud wrapped around Roman’s weapon, and with a sharp tug from Blake, it fired a gunshot that ripped the cane from his grasp.

Roman stared at his now empty hand. “Well, I don’t suppose it’s too late to talk about that de—” My knee to his gut cut him off before Blake followed up with a kick across his face. Roman pirouetted before falling ungracefully onto his face, out cold.

Through my bugs, I could tell JNPR was still taking care of the White Fang grunts. The only ones left were noticeably better fighters than the others had been, but that wasn’t saying much. They shouldn’t have any troubles.

Pyrrha had been in constant motion since Neo had reached her… 

I glanced out the door and saw—

_Was Pyrrha… losing?_

Pyrrha had just fired a barrage of bullets that battered against Neo’s open parasol to no avail. Who charged forward, but... didn’t?

The bugs I had on Neo and what I saw through the door gave me two different scenes of what was happening. 

Pyrrha did a sideways swipe of her shield on the image of Neo that I was seeing, while my bugs had Neo swerving in a slight arc to arrive where her image had been after Pyrrha’s attack.

The image of Neo shattered like glass, revealing the real Neo as she slapped her parasol against Pyrrha’s face, then elbowed her in the gut, before spinning under Pyrrha’s retaliatory sword swing and attempting to sweep Pyrrha’s legs.

_Fuck. Some kind of illusion. Not a Master… Probably a Shaker who can create an image over an area if the illusions can be physically broken._

Pyrrha hopped over the kick and spun her blade around her neck as it shifted into its spear form. She caught its hilt as it rotated around her neck and cleaved at the shorter girl. 

Neo promptly backflipped, showing great flexibility by kicking toward her shoulder and doing the splits upright to build momentum for the maneuver, before landing gracefully while posing confidently with her umbrella.

_Damn, Neo only has a metal belt buckle on. Pyrrha can’t use her Semblance to dodge Neo’s attacks or shift their course. It’s one of the worst match-ups for Pyrrha, but not for me._

“Tie them up, quick. I’m going to help the others,” I quickly said, tossing a handful of zip ties from my pouch to Blake, before running toward the fight without waiting for a response.

Ren fired a barrage which was blocked by the parasol. Ren frowned, but moved in to help Pyrrha. 

Pyrrha shattered another image of Neo only to reveal the actual Neo pummeling Ren a short distance away. 

Ren tried an open palm thrust that Neo snaked around, her left shoulder braced against his outer elbow while her right arm kept Ren’s arm straight. Neo held her parasol in the middle as she struck Ren in the face with it, then rotated her wrist to strike him in the stomach.

Neo’s leg then shot straight up into a standing split kick at Ren’s head. She let go of Ren’s arm to allow him to reel back, pivoted with her standing leg, and brought her heel down on his shoulder in an axe kick.

My bugs heard a sickening crunch as Ren’s shoulder caved under the force of the blow and sent him to the ground. Neo grinned maliciously in satisfaction.

“Ren!” Pyrrha yelled in alarm as she rushed forward.

“Pyrrha, to the right!” I warned as I drew my gun and fired. 

My shot broke apart Neo’s illusion, and she stumbled back as the bullet whizzed past her face.

She looked toward me in shock before she spun around at the last moment to block Pyrrha’s harsh slash, making her jump back and away from Ren to avoid Pyrrha’s next swing. 

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Neo turned abruptly and dived to the side as a raging Nora careened into the space she was just in, annihilating the concrete with a mighty swing from her giant hammer.

I fired again and another illusion broke. She stared murderously at me.

A haggard Jaune was now also approaching after having beaten down the last of the White Fang members, cutting off her last avenue of escape.

Neo was visibly distressed now, her eyes glancing about until they rested on the fallen form of Roman as Blake made a point tightening the zip ties probably farther than she needed to. Her eyes blinked to white and she frantically looked between all of us and Roman. 

For a moment, she held her gaze on Roman with a guilty expression before sprinting at Jaune.

Jaune yelped and wildly hacked at her with his sword. 

Neo easily sidestepped the slash and jumped onto his shoulder before kicking off him, sending him stumbling into a charging Pyrrha. 

She opened her parasol underneath her, just in time for Nora’s hammer to slam into it. 

Just like Team JNPR’s ‘Fastball Special’, Neo flew into the sky before she bled the momentum with her parasol. 

“Crap…” Nora griped bitterly.

Blake and I fired at her, but she had already flown outside the warehouse perimeter and quickly disappeared into the alleyways.

I moved to try and pursue, but she was outside my bug’s range moments later, her Aura-enhanced speed letting her move faster than a car.

“Ren!” Nora cried as she hurried to his side, worry and fear marring her usual energy and pep.

“Jaune, help Blake tie the rest of them up. She has my zip ties,” I said.

I moved toward Ren and grimaced. My hips and ribs would have a nasty bruise.

Ren’s collarbone and right shoulder were broken. Nothing life-threatening. I ripped off a strip of cloth from an unconscious gang member’s uniform and wrapped his arm in a sling. There wasn’t much else we could do for him here.

The sounds of sirens and the spotlights of VPD ships approached, breaking my train of thought.

“Of course, they show up now,” Blake said, though there was a hint of relief and cheer in her voice.

Despite Ren’s injury, we had caught Roman Torchwick, possibly recovered most of the stolen Dust, dealt a crippling blow against the White Fang, and interrupted whatever plan their secretive master was preparing.

I turned towards the advancing Bullheads and sheltered my eyes from the spotlights.

_Now, to deal with this._

* * *

My fingers droned against the metal table of the interrogation room where I had been left to wait after giving my statement. At least I wasn’t in handcuffs this time. 

We had all been brought into the VPD headquarters to go over what had happened, and despite the hours passing, we were still there.

_I didn’t miss the bureaucracy of all this._

Ozpin was finishing up speaking with Blake. Their back and forth had been interesting, Blake had admitted her history with the White Fang after some prompting from Ozpin. 

I had suspected he already knew about Blake’s past, but their talk confirmed it. 

Ozpin had also officially stated that Blake wouldn’t have to worry about any legal problems in regards to her past actions, which left Blake with a relieved expression as Ozpin headed toward me.

“Good evening,” I stated as Ozpin opened the door.

“A good evening to you as well, and if I may say, a nostalgic sight.” His hand gestured across the interrogation room.

“How are things looking?”

“The forty-three White Fang members have been detained, Roman Torchwick as well. The VPD are currently doing inventory on the containers, but I’ve been told that almost all of the stolen Dust is accounted for.” 

“Good.”

“How, may I ask, is it that you, Miss Belladonna, and Team JNPR came across the whereabouts of Roman’s base of operations?”

“A lucky accident, as I said to the VPD.”

“Of course. No connection to your nightly jaunts into Vale then.” 

I waited for him to continue, but he seemed content to sip at his cocoa instead.

_Well, if you aren’t going to press then I’ll leave things there._

“So, you have my statement as well as everyone else’s.”

“Yes, how fortunate that you ‘spontaneously remembered a location from your past’. I’m sorry that it turned out to be a misunderstanding,” he said bemusedly. 

We had gone over what we were going to say to the police on the airship ride from Beacon. 

“Indeed. Was there anything else the VPD or you needed?” 

“Just one thing that I wanted to inform you of. The rest of Team RWBY hasn’t been told of what happened”—he didn’t question why we hadn’t brought the rest of Team RWBY along, but I felt the slight disapproval nonetheless—“but the city council has already expressed interest in giving you, Blake, and Team JNPR commendations for your actions. It won’t be a secret for long,” Ozpin stated.

_Damn politics._

“Thank you for the warning,” I said.

He nodded and stood up, and I followed him out the door.

_Now what?_

The question shot through my head with a disharmonious ring.

I had gotten the bad guy and retrieved the stolen goods. The authorities would question him to try and figure out who they were working for. I had no information to go on, not unless Roman’s mysterious backer made a move.

Once again, I felt the familiar sensation of aimlessness.

_What was there for me to do now?_

**Chapter 20 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to garneredAcrimony, Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, and The Sleeping Knight for channeling their dark magic to empower this fic with words and wisdom.
> 
> Also, an additional shoutout to TheSleepingKnight who slid into my DM's, and whipped out his hard, girthy, writing advice that I hope to work at and improve upon.
> 
> So yeah, Cinder doesn’t tell Roman to move everything to Mountain Glenn till Volume 2, so literally all the Dust they stole is still in that warehouse (Maybe a little bit is offsite but most of it is there). Which means that Mountain Glenn can’t happen anymore. They don’t have the Dust for the explosives. 
> 
> So, while it’s taken a while, this chapter probably marks the moment that canon is completely dead. LONG LIVE THE NEW GUARD.
> 
> Some things won’t go completely differently. Cinder is still gonna try to kill Amber for the rest of the Maiden powers, kill Ozpin, hijack the Atlas soldiers, plant the virus into the CCT, etc. She just can’t go about doing those things the same way. Though, that’s not to say things might continue to change. 
> 
> Neo’s umbrella and necklaces might be made of metal, but I’m going to say they’re not. The umbrella will be carbon fiber or somethin. Except for the giant needle inside it, but I think Pyrrha needs line of sight or knowledge of the metal for her Semblance. Otherwise, she would have known about Mercury’s legs and been able to say something after Yang ‘cripples’ him.
> 
> Blake and Ozpin’s chat is different from canon, kinda. Blake’s less focused on hiding who she is, and Ozpin/Blake know that Taylor is the reason they had the info on the White Fang’s activities etc. But the convo followed the same beats as in canon (Volume 2 Episode 2) and I didn’t want to rehash the scene with only minor differences.
> 
> I’m gonna say that in canon, everyone’s winter break plans are pushed back a little after Blake runs away.


	21. Where the Heart is

* * *

_Taylor_

I looked at the quaint house before me. 

The large log cabin welcomed all visitors with a well-worn path through trees brimming with green. A chimney poked out of the roof overlooking a porch beside the house. Nestled in the trees just to the side of the house was a small shed; my bugs noted the basic tools of the workshop/garage within.

It practically bled the ‘small town’ vibe, though seemingly everything on Patch did. It was a place that I could see someone calling home. 

My fingers clenched, but there was no strain in my hand from holding the bags for so long, no plastic cutting into skin. However, the muscles in my arm burned from months of inactivity.

The metal arm was only a shadow of what had once been, but it made up for it in other ways.

I knocked and waited, letting my bugs survey the area.

The door opened with a faint creak, a noise similar to what the steps going up to my home in Brockton Bay had made.

A blond muscular man with a light soul patch and stubble stood with a broom and a smile. He had a casual look to him: brown cargo shorts and a tan shirt with a darker brown vest over it. A tattoo of a tribal styled heart marked his upper right arm while a red bandana wrapped around his left bicep—the same shade of red as Ruby’s cloak.

Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang and Ruby’s father.

“Well hello there, you must be Taylor.” He reached out with his free hand and gave me a friendly handshake. 

“Yes. Thank you for having me.”

“We weren’t expecting you so early. Ruby and Yang met Weiss in town and dragged her off on a little tour of Patch. I thought that they would have been back by now. I’d bet that Yang has something to do with it.” He smiled in a way that only a dad with children that frequently got into trouble could, making me smile in return. “Well, let’s not just stand here, come on in.” He turned and walked toward the kitchen, beckoning me with a wave.

I liked Taiyang instantly. He was openly caring in every expression he made. People like him were usually honest in everything they did. Although, some people put up that front just to _appear_ trustworthy.

“Knowing Yang, I wouldn’t be surprised,” I mused out loud as I followed him in.

The bottom floor of the house was fairly open, the kitchen, a dining room, a living room only separated by one wall. 

Pictures lined the walls, regular family photos, but one caught my eye: a woman that looked exactly like an older version of Ruby, smiling brilliantly while holding up her white hooded cape like a set of wings. Summer Rose, Ruby’s mom.

“I hope that doesn’t mean she’s getting into any trouble,” Taiyang said over his shoulder, amused with a light undertone of worry; the sound of protective fathers everywhere. 

“Nothing I think she would want me telling you about.”

“Well of course not… but you wouldn’t let her get over her head, would you?” His tone shifted to something between playful begging and soft scolding.

_Make that very overprotective._

“Don’t worry, Mr. Xiao Long, I’ll make sure to tell you about all the parties, alcohol, gang fights, crimes, smuggling, street races…” I deliberately let the list fade off as I arrived in the kitchen to see Taiyang fumbling with the broom.

“Street races?! I told her no more bike races! I don’t care if the other person challenged her or not! I…” He whirled, and froze when he saw my smirk, a matching grin breaking out on his own face. “Oh, ha ha. Alright, that’s fair. And please, call me Tai. I get enough of Mr. Xiao Long from my students.” _Right, he’s a teacher at Signal and a fully licensed Huntsman._

A black and white corgi was… holding a dustpan for Tai to sweep into. 

“Thanks, Zwei.”

The dog yipped happily.

_Smart dog._

“Oh sorry, do you need help with those bags?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” I waved him off with my free hand. “I actually was wondering if it would be okay if I made dinner for everyone. It’s why I showed up early.”

It was odd; I had thought that having my robotic prosthetic would make me dive into training. Instead, I wanted to cook, something I had never really had time for these past years.

“Oh wow. I don’t see any problem with it. In fact, I think that would be great. Just let me know what I can help with.” There was a small beat of silence as I set my bags on the counter. “How are you finding it?” he asked casually, nodding toward my arm. Ruby or Yang must have mentioned it because it was currently hidden by my sweater and gloves.

“It’s… different than what I thought it would be like. I was expecting some big revelation or something after finally getting it, but it was really lackluster.”

“Like you had never lost it?” He swept the last of the debris into the dustpan and the corgi ran out the porch door to dump it.

“Exactly.”

“Do you like it?” His head tilted and his tone shifted softly.

“I think I do. I have to be conscious not to trigger it by accident, but I think it’ll prove really useful in the future.” It felt like I had a muscle that wasn’t there before, and if I unintentionally tensed it, I would inadvertently fire off a deadly weapon. 

“Hmmm, that’s good. May I ask why you’re wearing gloves to hide it then?”

“It’s a habit I want to get into. Anyone who knows me will notice the new limb, but anyone else won’t. It’ll be a nice surprise,” I said and began taking the ingredients out of my bags.

Tai took a moment to examine me before he frowned slightly. “Most kids don’t think that way, though I guess a ‘secret agent’ would.” His frown reversed entirely as he finished into a dopey grin.

I sighed loudly. “Ruby is very… imaginative, at least.” Tai just laughed. “Also…” I pulled out the bottle of bourbon that Junior had gifted me and set it on a counter. “I got this as a gift, but I don’t really plan on drinking it.”

I had my arm, a small amount saved up, and the White Fang and Torchwick situations were calming down, so there wasn’t much point in staying in Junior’s ‘employ’. All that was left to do was to tell him I was retiring so he wouldn’t blacklist me in case I did need to get back into things.

“Oh, thank you! That’s very considerate of you, but it would be a shame to drink alone.” He walked over to a cupboard and produced two glasses. “Well, would you like to share a drink?”

“Should you be offering a minor a drink? Aren’t you a teacher?” My eyebrow raised accusingly.

“It’s fine. From what I hear, you’re the most adult of the students anyway.”

_Well, that is… probably true. Why not try one?_

“I’m not much of a drinker, only ever had a bourbon tea cocktail before.”

Revel had snuck it in for us a month after I had joined the Wards. I was more than surprised that a tight-laced, no-nonsense hero like Revel would be the one to sneak in alcohol, but she had said it was a bit of an initiation, to help build camaraderie. 

I smiled every time I thought of her pouring us drinks, then immediately monitoring our health and making sure we didn’t have more than she had strictly designated, asking if we needed water every ten minutes.

“Do you like that drink?”

“It was fine. Company was nice too.” Nostalgia colored my tone, then my smile sunk.

Revel died under Khepri’s control. _My_ control. My bugs writhed, and I slowly forced the memories back under lock and chain. 

“Perfect then. I needed to use up those oranges anyway. I’ll mix us up a bit and we can talk about how my girls are doing at Beacon,” he stated with satisfaction. If he noticed me swallowing my guilt, then he didn’t shot it. 

I hadn’t actually agreed to drinks, but only shrugged in response. My smile deepened at his plan to find out what his daughters were up to, beyond all the phone calls and letters Ruby sent him.

I hadn’t thought that I could be this open with someone I had just met. Maybe it was because it reminded me of how my dad and Kurt used to talk. Well, how they talked on Dad’s good days.

_Dad…_

I sucked in a breath through my nose and pushed those thoughts down. I didn’t need to look at that scar right now. _New arm, meeting friend’s family, trying to relax a little for once._

My sweater was loose against my torso but was tight against my arms, and the white fabric caught on the more angular forearm plate of my new arm as I rolled up my sleeves and peeled off my gloves. The gunmetal sections and circular black joints glistened under the sink water as I washed my hands. 

I took extra care to get into the nooks and crannies of the robotic limb. I also took out the Dust cartridge from just below the elbow and tucked it away. Best not to accidentally fire off my arm and skewer Tai’s kitchen.

“Mind if I ask how it happened?” he asked almost offhandedly as he dug out a kettle.

“It got crushed, had to have it burned off,” I said, keeping my tone light despite its contents.

I heard Tai grimace behind me as I grabbed a cutting board he had placed out at some point. “That must have hurt like no other,” he said in a joking, matter-of-fact way.

“More than the bullets through my skull, actually.”

“Ha!” A joyful smile returned to his face. “Worst one I ever got was probably when I got gored by a Telphus.” He circled three sections of his body, one on his leg and two on his stomach. “Luckily, my team got me out of there in time, but boy, did it ever hurt.”

“A Telphus? That’s those huge stag Grimm, right?”

“Yup. Pretty normal for Grimm to take something like antlers and make them like swords.”

“Too true.”

“So, what are you planning on cooking and how can I help?”

“I’m making lasagna.” _I haven’t made Mom’s lasagna in… I don’t even remember._ “I should be fine on my own, but thank you. ” I could have used the help, but I wanted to do it by myself. “Can you point me toward your pots and pans? I brought a casserole dish, but I’ll need some pans and a pot.”

He pointed out a cupboard, and I grabbed what I needed. “Lasagna? Never heard of it. What’s in it?” 

_What?_

I fished out my Scroll and did a quick search, finding nothing.

_For fuck’s sake, Remnant. You literally have Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but you don’t have lasagna?!_

“It’s like… a spaghetti casserole, I guess.” 

“Huh, sounds interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”

I got to work. Meat fried in a skillet with onions and garlic. When browned, I added in most of the tomato sauce I had and set it aside to cool. The meat had been so lean that there hadn’t been any fat to drain. Spices, ricotta, and beaten eggs were combined in a small bowl. I unwrapped the ball of dough I had prepared at Beacon, divided it into three pieces, then rolled each section out into thin noodle strips. They were boiled until they were slightly tender, drained, then coated with a bit of olive oil.

Tai stepped in to help with a salad that now just needed dressing, and strips of garlic bread were ready to be toasted when the time came. 

When all the individual pieces were ready, I started to put them together in the pan. A layer of tomato sauce, then noodles, meat mixture, ricotta mix topped with mozzarella, noodles again, and repeat until the top layer. 

The process was so unfamiliar. A forgotten mundanity. Almost uncomfortable.

Just as all the preparations were finished, Tai handed me my drink. He held his glass out and I clinked mine off his.

Orange wedges floated amongst ice cubes in the chilled tea. Heating up tea just to let it cool always felt barbaric to me, but the sweet, soothing taste accented by the bourbon was refreshing enough for me to let it go.

I took some long breaths to force myself to relax, drinking somewhat quickly in hopes the liquor would loosen the constant tension I felt.

There was no imminent apocalypse, no necessary plan to get right at the last minute, no looming threat.

_You’re at a friend’s house for dinner, having a casual drink. You’re allowed to relax, to open up a little._

_Just don’t think about how Contessa might suddenly appear to take you away for whatever reason she left you on this world in the first place, or all the terrible things you’ve done, or the talk you’re going to have with your friends tonight_ — _relax, damn it!_

“So, what do you think of the team, Taylor?” Tai asked.

“Your daughters specifically, or all of them?”

“I would like to hear about what they’re all like—Blake, Weiss, and my daughters. Ruby and Yang have talked about you guys, but Ruby wouldn’t say anything really bad about anyone, and Yang would just go with the flow and keep her judgments to herself; deal with things on her own and not tell me about them. Or, if there was a problem she wanted to address, she would do so head-on. So, I guess I’m looking for a more honest idea of them. How is Ruby as a leader? How is Yang as a teammate to the others? What are Weiss and Blake like? What’s it like being a liaison for all the first-years? Stuff like that.”

“Well, Ruby is… awkward, socially.” _Not like I’m one to talk._ “Talking to anyone outside her group of friends makes her freeze up nervously, but she’s also caring and gets attached to different people quickly. Breaks down barriers, makes you feel welcome.” _Even when you don’t deserve it or don’t reciprocate._

“She finally broke you down, huh?” Tai’s eyes crinkled as he smiled wider.

“I guess she did.”

He huffed a laugh. “She had been writing about wanting to be your friend. Haven’t seen her do that before—not shy away after not getting along with someone, that is.”

“It’s not that we didn’t get along...” Why had Ruby been so persistent? She hadn’t with anyone else I’d seen. Maybe because I shared a room with her? “Do you know why?”

“Not sure. Maybe because she found you in the alley, a shared trauma—though, you had the worst in that situation. She just really wanted to be your friend.”

“I see.” Someone actively wanting to be my friend was… odd. Flattering in a foreign way. “Well, she succeeded in the end so…” I trailed off. 

If anything, I had just stopped closing myself off a bit, enough to maybe make friends. I partly accepted the invite to Ruby and Yang’s house because I felt bad for not doing so sooner. 

Bugs fidgeted for me.

“She ummm… She told me I was like a big sister…” I mumbled the last part shyly. It felt almost arrogant to say out loud.

“Like an older sister to her, one older than Yang?” 

“Yeah.”

“I can see it,” he agreed amusedly. I didn’t deserve the praise. “And Yang?” he asked.

“Yang and I get along, but we’re not close. I doubt we’ll ever be.” His grin twitched downward. “We haven’t really talked much and never found a reason to. We just don’t mesh. Our motivations are fairly opposite. There’s also…” Blake’s problems. “Yang’s headstrong.” Tai huffed a laugh at the understatement. “Especially when trying to help others, but she’s been dealing with a situation where she can’t help and I can. It caused some friction.” 

He nodded, deep in thought but with a smile. He saw it as her learning a lesson instead of tackling a problem.

“That being said…” I continued. “I came across something that I wanted to ask you about.” Tai’s expression invited me to continue. “Why haven’t you told Yang about Raven? About what she’s been doing and where she is?”

Tai’s breathing hitched. “You, uh, know about Raven?”

“Raven Branwen. Suspected bandit leader. Current guesses are that she and her tribe are in western Anima right now.”

“How’d you find all that out?” Curiosity mixed in with his solemn tone.

“Yang had mentioned it before… I bought some info from a broker that came through.” Junior provided the contact in Mistral, for a fee.

Tai smiled slightly through his gloom. “I’m happy that Yang was willing to open up to you guys about that. It says a lot… I haven’t told Yang because I’m worried about what she would do with it.”

“If she would go after her? Demand answers?”

“I don’t want my daughter tearing across continents to track down bandits. It’s too dangerous, and Yang is too… passionate to go at it with a level head. She would go rushing for answers… and I don’t know she could handle them. It’s why I’ve been waiting to tell her...”

“You don’t think she could handle it?”

“I don’t think Yang would understand that Raven has already chosen to not be her mother…” Tai closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. The knowledge must have been weighing on him for years now, and I’d barged in and dragged it out.

I thought of everything I did in preparation for Jack Slash. I thought of Blake’s fixation on the White Fang’s actions and what it did to her. Unlike Blake or me, I didn’t see Yang as someone who could hear the information and react rationally to it. 

Blake had stepped back and let me handle things because she understood that I would be able to help her, and that she would need to be in a better state to deal with the White Fang when I found them.

Yang wouldn’t, though. Despite vowing to not let her desire to find her mom become an obsession, I didn’t think Yang would be able to see the danger in it all. There wouldn’t be a happy ending, and I doubted any explanation would justify Raven abandoning her family to go around raiding villages and leaving them for the Grimm to pick through afterward.

And if Yang found out what her mother had been doing? She would need to know why. She would just be pulling a wagon with her sister in it all over again, but this time she would be alone.

“I understand, and you’re right. Right now, learning about it would… well, I’ll hold off on talking to her about it.” _More secrets…_

_I’ll tell her after the school year ends… I’ll go too. Maybe the others might be willing. It’ll be safer, we’ll have time, be more prepared._

“Thank you. I plan on telling her, just... I’d like to see how she handles her current problem first. Make sure she isn’t just going to places and beating people up for answers,” he said, his tension washing away.

“Oh, you heard about that?” I wouldn’t have thought Yang would have mentioned that she beat up everyone in Junior’s nightclub for information.

“Wait, she actually did that?!” _Oops, he was joking._ His brow furrowed, and he looked in the direction of town where Yang was with an expression that told me he was going to have words with her later.

“Anyways… Weiss is a good partner for Ruby. Weiss pushes Ruby academically while Ruby pushes Weiss… socially. Blake and Yang… Blake has had some personal issues that have kept her from the team for a while, so they aren’t as close as the other two.” I swirled the contents of my drink, watching the light dance within it before taking another sip.

“I was wondering. Yang stopped mentioning anything particular about Blake after the second week of school,” Tai said.

“Things have hopefully calmed down for Blake. We plan on talking about it tonight.”

“Sounds serious, but why do I feel like that ‘we’ means you and Blake talking with everyone else?” he pointed out with surprising insight.

_I didn’t think I hinted at anything, I guess he just understands his daughter that well._

“I helped Blake a little with her troubles, yes.” Tai nodded at his confirmed suspicions. “Blake understands that being distant wasn’t something anyone wanted, and she plans to make up for that.”

There was a beat of silence as Tai pondered my words. Zwei wandered into the kitchen and stopped to examine me, tongue out and head tilted. 

Instinctively, I made eye contact, stood straighter and widened my stance to seem bigger, then made a soundless snap while pointing down beside me. A dominance display, just like Rachel showed me.

The corgi straightened, somehow looking serious. He marched over and sat by my feet, my own little guard dog. 

Rachel would have been proud.

“He’s usually a little more… dopey than that,” Tai said perplexedly. “Anyway, it sounds like my daughters are on a good team. Thank you for indulging me.”

“No problem.”

“Would you like another?”

“…Why not?” I shrugged.

Tai finished his own glass and quickly mixed up another two batches. I realized that he had made a full kettle worth of tea, enough for a few more glasses for each of us.

The lasagna was covered in foil and ready for the oven. 

_All that’s left to do is wait for the others._

* * *

I spotted Ruby, Yang, and Weiss approaching the house at a leisurely pace from the kitchen window.

Weiss’s eyes were downcast, and she seemed to be in deep thought. The two sisters didn’t seem to notice. 

My bugs snuck through the wild grass and trees to better listen.

Yang was teasing Ruby about all the praise she had apparently gotten from the Patch locals for being admitted into Beacon early, while Ruby was doing her best to match the shade of her face with her cloak.

Weiss finished psyching herself up and stopped, taking a deep breath in.

“What? Not big enough for you, Weissy?” Yang probed playfully as she gave a thumbs-up point toward her home.

“What? It’s fine—I mean—it’s a lovely home,” Weiss sputtered as she lost any composure she had built.

“Weiss, is something wrong?” Ruby asked with concern, stepping closer to her partner.

“Yeah, you’ve been kinda quiet for a while now,” Yang said, losing her comedic tone.

“I wanted to say…” Weiss cleared her throat and stood up straight before falling back into an embarrassed posture. “I wanted to say that I appreciate that you… that you were willing to take me to see your mom with you,” Weiss said, tiptoeing around the subject.

“Well, of course I took you. Why wouldn’t I want to introduce my partner to my mom?” Ruby asked, as if it was one of the most obvious things in the world.

Yang beamed with pride, moving up to ruffle Ruby’s hair despite her sister’s protests. As for Weiss, I could only describe her smile as intimate. One made for her friends and them alone.

“C’mon, Taylor. You can’t just blank out when you’re telling a story,” Tai complained.

I shook myself from my bug’s senses. “What is there to tell after describing how she basically psychologically tortured those people!” I shot back.

“But they were criminals, and it wasn’t really torture, more like pranks,” Blake argued casually, having arrived a drink ago.

“Fine. I’ll just rearrange your books every day without telling you and see how you make out.”

“Never mind, I take it back.”

“I think it’s hilarious. What did she do exactly?” Tai said.

“We’re ho~me!” Ruby announced as the door swung open.

“Welcome back! We’re just in the kitchen,” Tai called back.

“Oh, is everyone—” Ruby came around the corner and her eyes instantly snapped to my robotic arm. I had forgotten to roll my sleeves back down. “Taylor! Your arm!” Fireworks burst within the young girl and suddenly she was next to me, groping my new appendage. “Oh my gosh! What does it do? Is this segment here to reduce recoil? Oh! And the forearm plate rises up near the wrist! And that’s not an ammo slot—Dust? Looks like it superheats—is that why the insides are so insulated? For temperature resistance?” She poked inside the hole that Dust cartridges were loaded into. She buzzed with child-like curiosity, a veteran’s discerning eye, and something like a Tinker fugue all mixed into one.

As Yang entered the kitchen, she was also as mesmerized as her sister, but for another reason.

“You’re letting them drink!” Yang’s fingers pointed between Blake, me, and the bottle of alcohol on the counter.

“I’ve only had this one,” Blake said passively before taking another sip of her bourbon sour. Tai had talked me into trying a different drink, same liquor but different taste. A bit sweet for my liking, but not bad. 

“Taylor was nice enough to bring some—” Tai began.

“Then I’ll have one too,” Yang stated, as though her words were enough to confirm it was happening.

“No. Absolutely not. You and Ruby aren’t allowed alcohol until you’re twenty-five. Same with boys.”

“That’s so not fair!”

“Dad card!”

“That’s not a reason!”

_Hypocrite._

“The wrist joints are made to resist heat too… Long periods of exposure? It shouldn’t stay hot that—oh! Unless the Dust continuously heats it! But is that for a flamethrower? No, it would need a bigger casing and it wouldn’t need the recoil dampener,” Ruby rambled.

“Zwei, hurt,” I commanded, and a blur of fluff and love barreled into Ruby’s face.

An onslaught of licks came from the corgi.

_Close enough. At least she’s not transfixed on my arm anymore._

Blake shuffled away from Zwei and glanced at the dog contemptuously. She gave me a look that threatened great vengeance should I ever do that to her.

I went to lean back on the counter, but as I moved backward I somehow missed it. My eyes went wide, and I moved to grab hold of something before my butt met the counter’s ledge.

_Oh, it was just farther back than I thought? Stupid drinks, making my body feel light and ready to move but also making me clumsy._

“Zwei, stop. Ha. Down. Haha, stop! Traitor!” Ruby groused before dissolving into giggles.

It was Weiss’s turn to be captivated. She sped toward Ruby, picked Zwei up, and immediately began cuddling the dog, who reciprocated the affection.

“Oh wook at da wittle pupper, we’re going to be best fwiends. Yes, we are. Yes, we are.” She froze as she noticed everyone was looking at her. Zwei gave her one last lick on the cheek before Weiss stiffly set him down—causing Ruby to groan as Zwei landed on her stomach—and cleared her throat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xiao Long. Thank you for letting us into your home.” She finished with a curtsey, a small blush the only reminder of what happened.

“No, thank you for coming over. Anyone on my daughter’s team is always welcome,” Tai said, before he curtsied himself, resulting in Yang and Ruby snickering.

“Anyway, you never answered my question,” Yang said to her father.

“Sorry, honey, Taylor was just finishing up a story.”

I shook my head at the obvious deflection. “She would go into their houses and rearrange the furniture. Just a little though, only enough to be noticeable but not completely out of place. Or she would make noises. Sometimes leave messages. But she would do it for _weeks_ straight.” Tai devolved into chuckles. Blake was shaking her head but smiling.

“What are you talking about?” Yang inquired.

“I had a friend whose Semblance made people forget about her. I was just saying what she did to the criminals in town.”

“She _haunted_ them?”

“Basically.” Now Yang was giggling.

“That’s a terrifying Semblance,” Weiss stated.

“It was. Strangers are scary like that. Aisha could have walked up to someone in a crowd and slit their throat, and no one would have remembered she had done it.”

Ruby made a face as she got back up. “That’s pretty scary, at least she used it only for pranks,” she said with a shaky smile. I sipped my drink to hide my face and a few sets of eyes widened. “Oh,” Ruby finished darkly.

“What did you mean by ‘strangers’, Taylor?” Weiss asked.

_‘Strangers’? Shit, I didn’t even notice I said it. Am I drunk?_

“It’s a classification for types of Semblances,” I lied—though, technically I had been using them for just that, so it wasn’t really lying—using my robot hand to rub my chin in thought. The metal was chilly from holding my drink. I had forgotten to put my gloves back on. “I guess teaching you guys about them would be fine. Particularly Master-Stranger protocols.” Especially since _people like Neo were an active concern now._

“Master-Stranger protocols?”

“It’s basically stuff to do for when your opponent can hypnotize people, make illusions, change perceptions, control people.” My voice hushed at the last example. “That kind of thing. Stuff so that you can make sure your teammate coming toward you is actually your friend and not an enemy in disguise.” _Nah, can’t be drunk. Didn’t slur a single word there._

“That sounds practical,” Weiss said approvingly. “Did you come up with them yourself?”

“No, just something I learned from others along the way.”

“Like those ‘combat exercises’ you’ve made us do,” Ruby asked with a shudder.

“Practicing hostage and bomb situations are important.”

“I think Rubes is thinking of the ones where a teammate is injured and trapped, but there’s some obstacle or bad guys in the way to get to them.”

“Those are even more important.”

Blake gave me a flat look. “You start those by describing, in great detail, the injury and amount of pain your teammate is in, and continue to narrate it while commenting on how much time till they die. Usually adding in a complication that cuts the time we have before our teammate dies.” 

Okay, those ones weren’t my design, they were Protectorate drills established by Alexandria… That was probably why they were rather… harsh. “They’re helpful _because_ they’re realistic.” 

I caught Yang examining me with an amused look. I raised an eyebrow at her.

“I honestly can’t tell if you’re drunk or not. If you are, then it’s really sad that even alcohol can’t liven you up.”

“I’m not drunk.” The syllables snapped in the air. My protest didn’t seem to convince Yang at all.

“See, it’s a blank face, three-second smiles, or glower. Nothing else.”

I stuck out my tongue with a deadpan expression. 

Yang smirked then turned to Weiss. “I’m surprised you aren’t commenting on Taylor and Blake’s drinking.”

“Despite her aptitude, I’ve long since accepted that Taylor is a deviant.”

“And Blake?”

“Is collected enough to manage herself.” Blake looked surprised at Weiss’s compliment. “They are still much better than your debauchery, Xiao Long.”

“What?! What have I done?”

“Debauchery?!” Tai cut in.

“Well, to start, there’s all the—” Weiss started.

“Nevermind! Don’t answer, you win!” Yang blurted out, and Weiss glowed with smugness.

A ding on the stove rang through the room.

“Shall I throw on the garlic bread?” Tai asked, and I nodded. “Alright, Yang and Ruby, why don’t you set the table since Taylor was nice enough to make dinner?”

“Coach cooked?” Yang asked.

“B-but… robot arm…” Ruby said weakly and gestured to my arm.

“It’s not going anywhere, Ruby,” I said dryly.

“Can you at least tell me what it does? I can’t see the mechanism under the plating.”

I looked away to avoid the puppy dog eyes. “I guess it’s like a stinger?” I mused. _Wait, did I say that out loud?_

“Like on a bee?”

“Like on a fire bee.” _Wow._ _Maybe I should just stop drinking for a bit._

“Okay, maybe I do like drunk Taylor,” Yang said with a snicker.

“It lights on fire?!” More sparkles bloomed in Ruby’s silver eyes.

“Ruby!”

“Oh! Sorry, Dad!” With a burst of rose petals, she was grabbing cutlery.

Weiss examined the sisters as they set the table and a vein twitched on her forehead.

“Knives on the right, blade facing in,” the heiress chided before making her way over to correct her partner.

“Hey, Taylor, can I talk to you for a second?” Blake asked, before motioning me to the living room.

“Whaaaat’s up?” _Why did I draw that out?_

“I was talking to a friend of mine, one who used to be in the White Fang. Apparently, he was approached by some of the other Faunus who aren’t in the White Fang that are coordinating a rally for Faunus, to talk about everything that’s happened, and try to make a change,” she whispered feverishly.

“Is that a good thing? I’m guessing they’re trying to work with the rest of the Faunus to condemn what the White Fang have been up to.” Blake nodded but still held her serious expression. “But you think that the White Fang may interrupt this rally?”

“It’s a possibility. They were coercing Faunus who weren’t in the White Fang to join, so I don’t think they would take kindly to a gathering of Faunus that were speaking against them.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“I want to be there when it happens, just in case.”

“With everyone?”

Blake turned away from me and sighed. “I… Yes? Maybe? Having everyone there in case something does happen. All of Team RWBY, and Team JNPR, if they want.”

If they were still willing. I hadn’t been able to visit Ren in the hospital yet, nor had I seen anyone from Team JNPR after we had gotten back to Beacon. The texts I had exchanged with Pyrrha didn’t give me a good enough idea of how they were doing after what happened.

“But that depends on what happens tonight, right?”

“Is it okay? Asking for something like this right after I tell them I’ve been lying to them for months? That we went ahead without them to attack a criminal organization?”

“Suuure, I mean—wait. When is the rally?”

“I don’t know. Not for a while at least.”

“Then we read the mood. If it seems like the right time, then ask. If it doesn’t, then it can wait. There’s no rush, and we can hopefully look into if the White Fang are planning a response as we go. Also, ask me again after dinner just in case.” _When I have some food in me to help clear out this alcohol._

“R-right. Thank you, Taylor. Talking with you about these things… it’s nice to have someone who can help and isn’t… distracted or biased by what’s happening.”

“What? All I’m good for is being human?” I joked.

“No! That’s not what I—” She noticed the wry grin on my face. “Oh, ha ha.” She rolled her eyes, but I could see her lip twitch.

We moved back into the kitchen just as the timer on my Scroll was about to finish. I grabbed a set of oven mitts and took out the lasagna from the oven.

I set the dish on the table and shuffled my hands out of the oven mitts so that they would act as heat pads.

Dinner was served.

* * *

“That was very good,” Weiss announced, almost surprised at the fact.

“What was that, Taylor?” Ruby asked, a smudge of sauce bouncing with her cheek as she spoke.

“A completely original dish… apparently.” I began gathering the empty plates before Tai waved me off with a smile and took over the job.

My mind felt clearer now. I hadn’t even noticed how the alcohol was making me feel. I didn’t think I’d be drinking much in the future; not having full control over my thoughts and actions irked me.

“You made it up yourself?” Yang asked incredulously. “Cause I never really pictured you as the cooking type.”

“It’s a family recipe for something that I thought was a common meal”— _well, it is a common meal, it just isn’t one here_ —“but I couldn’t find it online or under a different name, so I guess so.”

“What’s it called?”

“Technically, it’s lasagna al forno, but I’ve never really used the full name. Always called it lasagna...” Just like Mom had. I’d found out the difference only after she died.

“Thank you again for dinner, Taylor. Why don’t you girls go talk while I clean up?” Tai said as he lugged the stack of dishes over to the sink.

Blake shot me a look, and I nodded. _I guess it’s time._

“So, what do you think of our small-town life, Weiss?” Yang asked playfully as we made our way to the porch.

There was a circle of cushioned, wooden chairs that were covered by a slanted roof. The sun was deep into setting, and Yang flicked on a pair of wall lights to illuminate us.

“It’s… nice here. I’ve… never been over to a friend’s house before. At least, not in a way that wasn’t my father having me build relations with a business partner’s child,” Weiss said.

She made it sound so natural, how she thought her father was using her. There was no gratitude for having been brought along to meet potential friends. No, Weiss knew intrinsically that those visits were always about schmoozing, and she considered that completely normal.

Blake sat down first, her movements stiff as she prepared herself. It wasn’t purposeful, but the seating arrangements ended up with Blake and me on one side with the others slightly opposite us. 

It was just how the chairs were set up, but I hoped they wouldn't read into it.

“So… what do you guys—” Yang began before Blake cut in sharply.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you all about.” Blake locked herself into a state of calm. “And it’s… well, it’s pretty important to me.” Her tone was stern and focused; she was ready.

Yang was rapt with attention instantly, but her posture felt skittish, like she was worried that moving would scare Blake away.

“Sure, what’s up?” Ruby asked innocently, only partially feeling the edge in the air.

“Okay… just.” Blake took a shuddering breath and her hands slowly crept up to her bow. Everyone looked confused but didn’t break the silence.

Blake’s hands quivered as they grasped the midnight cloth. Then with a final glance at me and a steadying breath, she steeled herself and pulled. The bow fell gently onto the ground.

Blake’s eyes were focused on it, too afraid to look up at her teammates. I placed my hand on her shoulder and felt her trying to contain her trembling. 

Blake looked _guilty_ , of all things. I wasn’t sure if that was because of how she felt about hiding who she was or for how she felt about being a Faunus. I didn’t like it.

Finally, Blake looked up. Yang looked like revelations were exploding in her head while more questions were coming out of the debris. Weiss was simply shocked and confused. Ruby…

“You have cute kitty ears!” Ruby proclaimed as she pointed at Blake’s ears.

I closed my eyes, suppressing what was either a smile, a chuckle, or a sigh.

“Yes, Ruby, I do,” Blake said with quiet amusement. The younger girl’s gushing cut down the weight on Blake’s shoulders, but not all of it. “Also, ten months ago…” This was the big one. “I was a member of the White Fang.”

A breeze chilled the air as the others froze.

“Explain,” Weiss bit out accusingly.

“I was… born into the White Fang. I went to every protest and participated in every boycott. We had been promised equality, yet we were still discriminated against everywhere we went. Then, the leader of the White Fang stepped down, Sienna Khan took over—”

“How is this pertinent to you being—” Weiss started.

“She’s giving context, _Weiss_ ,” I cut in. “Context in how despite winning the war, the Faunus were still treated like shit, abused by companies, or outright banned from work and villages. For decades the Faunus were kicked around, but instead of retaliating _again_ for their mistreatment, they started a protest group to try and fix things. Only after that didn’t work, did the White Fang take a more extreme approach.”

“Are you trying to justify what they’ve done?!” Weiss shot back.

“No, what I’m saying is that it’s a complex issue, and it really isn’t surprising what eventually happened,” I stated.

“You realize you’re defending a group that hates humanity, right? They’re pure evil!”

“Even the Faunus that were forced into the White Fang? All because they didn’t want to be discriminated against by both humans and their fellow Faunus, and were forced to pick a side. Are they evil too? What about Faunus that were so poor that they had no other choice than to join the White Fang for survival? Painting all Faunus, or even all Faunus in the White Fang, with one broad stroke is ignorant and discriminatory.”

“They’ve been attacking my family since I was a child!” Weiss shot up from her seat. “I’ve watched family friends disappear, board members executed, tons of Dust stolen or destroyed.” Her expression morphed into a scowl. “Everyday, my father would come home furious, and that made for a very unhappy childhood.”

“Weiss…” Ruby murmured sadly.

“So, don’t you tell me how I—”

“Weiss, don’t blame the Faunus for your dad being a shitty person,” I countered coldly, causing Weiss to stagger back. “Yes, they’re responsible for the attacks on the board members and your family, but your father’s actions are his own. Nothing’s black and white. There are heroic criminals and villainous heroes in the world.” 

“Enough!” Blake interrupted and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Taylor.” She cleared her throat and glanced between Weiss and the heiress’s empty chair, who sat back down with rigid motions, seeming to have decided to simmer until Blake was done. “Anyway,” Blake began, a slight shake in her voice. “I left the White Fang after… well, I didn’t want to use my skills to help in their violence.” Her voice became steadier and more confident. “So, I decided to become a Huntress, and hopefully try to make up for the things I’ve done and help the Faunus in my own way.”

“Does… this have anything to do with why you’ve been so busy up till now?” Yang asked, her tone and posture far more reserved than normally. _She must be waiting to hear everything before making any judgments._

“Yes. I was investigating why the White Fang had escalated their actions in Vale. It didn’t make sense. They weren’t helping Faunus or their cause, they were just hurting people... Honestly, I didn’t get much done until Taylor confronted me.”

Yang’s breathing hitched for a moment. “That’s why you two were working together, you found out about Blake…” she muttered before standing up and punching Blake’s shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“I thought you hated me! Oh my god, this makes so much more sense!” Yang started pacing, her hands emphasizing her words. “It was because you were worried how we’d react and didn’t want us involved. Ah!” Each flustered step seemed to melt another layer of anxiety off Yang. “Man, that was bugging me!” She flopped back down and then noticed the confused stares from everyone. “Uh sorry… that really wasn’t the time for that, was it?” She scratched the back of her head and flushed with embarrassment.

“You thought I hated you?” Blake asked warily.

“Well, yeah! You were always gone and avoiding us, nothing I did was helping, waiting wasn’t doing anything. Taylor had to talk me down after I almost combusted at our little slumber party. Whew, sorry, I’m steering us away from the story. So, Taylor confronted you?”

“I… didn’t know I was making you feel like that, you have nothing to be guilty for, Yang. I was the one who—”

“It’s all good. Really, Blake. I was the one beating myself up over it. And you’re trusting us now, and I can’t complain about that.”

“Thank you, Yang, and I promise I’ll try to make things up to you. Anyway, Taylor knew I was a Faunus from the first day of classes—”

“What?”

“Really?”

“And you didn’t inform us?”

“Her bow moved with her ears. You would have noticed if you’d pay attention. And it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed and the rest of us quieted down. “Taylor helped me track down where the White Fang and Roman Torchwick were basing their operation in Vale.”

“Wait, how did Taylor do that?” Ruby asked.

“I’ve been doing my own search on them for a while now… I moonlight as an information broker for a group in Vale, keeps me informed about some things. It’s also an okay way to make money. We found out that Roman and the White Fang were working out of a small warehouse district.”

“So you’re telling us because you want us to go bust baddies together!” Ruby squealed in excitement.

Blake and I shared a look. “Actually, three nights ago, Blake and I, along with Team JNPR, attacked them at the warehouse.”

“What?!” Ruby and Yang cried in synchronized dismay, Ruby looking hurt while Yang looked angry—specifically, at me.

“You said you’d come to us for shit like this,” Yang growled.

“You just abandoned your team to go battle a group of dangerous criminals on your own!” Weiss rebuked sharply.

“No… we didn’t. I was actually going to reveal who I was and ask you all if you would help, but…” Blake glanced at Weiss.

“What did I do?”

“You were talking about the White Fang being degenerates… and that Faunus we chased, the one from the boat…” Yang recounted before realization blossomed, and her hand met her forehead with a loud _slap_. “The one you had been calling a rapscallion or whatever.”

“And? What about that?” Weiss asked.

“It… made me second-guess how you would all react to me telling you I was a Faunus,” Blake stated honestly.

“B-but they were criminals! It’s different!” Weiss protested.

“I used to be a criminal, Weiss,” Blake said softly.

“Me too,” I added, drawing shocked stares.

“Wait, _you_ were a criminal? But you’re so…” Weiss swirled her hands, as if it would be able to conjure up the words she wanted.

“Yes. I used to be in a local gang in my city. Did a lot of bad things before I eventually turned it around.” _Well, I became a hero. It didn’t mean I made the right choices._ “Am I a degenerate then?”

“I didn’t mean that _you_ were any of those things, Blake. I-I was r-referring to—” Weiss sputtered.

“Weiss, I understand that the White Fang have done a lot of wrong. That _I’ve_ done a lot of wrong. You have a right to be angry with the White Fang. All I want you to understand is that they aren’t all bad people. That all Faunus aren’t bad because of that one group. That you _don’t_ label someone by their race, _especially_ while insulting them. Think of the _person_ first.” I heard a bit of anger in Blake’s words that was tucked away with a long breath. The pause seemed to physically weigh on Weiss, pulling her shoulders down.

“I’m not really familiar with how it went,” Blake continued, “but that Faunus who stowed away doesn’t deserve to be placed in the same category as the extremists in the White Fang. Or insulted as if he were. Nor does any Faunus that makes a mistake or does something bad,” she stated earnestly. I took my hand off her shoulder. She didn’t need the support anymore, she was doing fine.

“I—but—I wasn’t—” Weiss faltered before sitting back into her chair in contemplation. 

No one spoke, all waiting for either Weiss to respond or for Blake to continue. Seconds passed uncomfortably slowly as the silence permeated. 

Finally, Weiss looked up at Blake.

“Blake, I apologize. I didn’t mean for my words to make you not trust me enough to… well, I’m sorry. I want you to know, I—if I can, I want to help. I—” She looked struck by realization before it shifted into resolve. “I don’t want to be like my father in this. I want to do things different—better.”

Blake got up and walked over to Weiss. Each step clattered against the wooden planks of the porch. The white-haired girl blanched and glanced around nervously, unsure of what was about to happen. Weiss flinched away from Blake’s hand as it shot forward.

Instead, Weiss blinked rapidly as Blake wrapped her arms around Weiss.

“Thank you,” Blake whispered to her. She had been so scared by how this could have gone. Weiss hesitated before returning the gesture.

“Blake, I’m sorry too!” Ruby stated sincerely. “I didn’t know, and I didn’t think that—”

“It’s fine, Ruby,” Blake said as she released Weiss, who drew a hand across her eyes to wipe them clear.

“No, it isn’t. I’m sorry too, Blake. It’s like Taylor said in the cafeteria, we just sat there,” Yang said. 

“I didn’t do anything then either, but I get what you mean. How some Faunus are treated, it’s just become normal. I’m not asking you guys to pick up a sign and start protesting or anything; _this_ has been more than I had hoped for already.”

Ruby and Yang embraced Blake before they all sat back down. Blake seemed comfortably relieved, more relaxed than I had ever seen her. _Were we the first group of humans that she’s opened up to about everything?_

“I’m still not okay with this, the going off and doing something dangerous on your own bit”—Yang’s eyes flashed to me, crimson for only a moment—“but I get it, and am definitely up if you guys need to go for a round two with any baddies.”

“So, um, how did the thing with the White Fang and Roman go?” Ruby asked.

“Blake and I got Roman, while Team JNPR took out their transport. Roman had a woman with him, Neo, who was able to take on Ren and Pyrrha at the same time.” That got some surprised reactions. “Her Semblance is to make physical illusions that can hide herself or entire areas, so she was tricky to deal with. After we knocked out Torchwick, she ran off, though she hurt Ren pretty bad first. He’s in the hospital right now with a few broken bones but he should be fine in a few days.”

“Is that why Pyrrha and Jaune aren’t texting me back?!” Ruby asked.

“Probably. We asked them to not say anything until Blake talked to you all. We should go visit him tomorrow actually. Anyway, we did manage to retrieve most of the stolen Dust, and Roman was arrested along with a bunch of White Fang members.” _Now, I just have to look into who was backing Roman._

“That’s awesome! Not the Ren part, but the butt-kicking,” Yang stated.

“Yes, um, congratulations,” Weiss added.

“But, you both will include us from now on… right?” Ruby asked hopefully.

“Actually, there’s a Faunus rally that I’m worried the White Fang might attack. I wanted to ask you guys for your help… depending on how things went tonight.”

“Of course we’ll help, Blake.” Ruby’s smile radiated warmth, and Yang and Weiss nodded in confirmation as well.

_I’m glad I met these girls. Maybe, with them, I can learn to do things right._

**Chapter 21 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Majigah, TheSleepingKnight, Hopefullylesspretentious, and Weird Caster! I shall (Insert something about murdering and/or blood sacrifice in their honor) for their wonderful help.
> 
> I don’t know Remnant’s drinking age, so I’m just gonna say it’s 19 for now. Junior said Yang looked young at 17, but she wasn’t carded or stopped from ordering her drink… whatever, it’s 19 now.
> 
> I’m unsure about how well Taylor’s logic about not telling Yang about Raven plays out. I’ll tell you guys if I go back and change it.
> 
> I hated the entire train stolen line, it always felt too much of a callout to Blake’s trailer for me rather than something that Weiss would have actually said but that’s probably just me. 
> 
> Some lines are treading canon ground, just earlier. Hate doing it. 
> 
> Yes, yes, lasagna, a staple of a bad fanon trope for Worm. When I originally wrote this, I hadn’t realized the whole lasagna thing was fanon until Juff pointed it out in the second round of editing. I decided just to leave it in. Oh well, consider it a nod to… oh wow, here’s a thread for all the fics it could be (not counting the many many fics that have used lasagna in them). Who knows where it came from. 
> 
> I can use it as an excuse if people think I’m supposed to be writing good word story, I’ll say that this fic can’t be good, it has a lasagna scene, thus I’m allowed to write as shitty as I desire. 
> 
> I hope it’s not coming off as Blake justifying people not helping Faunus with her ‘how they’re treated has become normal’ thing. It probably doesn’t (because it shouldn’t), and I’m overanalyzing how people may interpret it because I’m overly anxious about making sure I’m tackling something like racism correctly… then again, it would be more in line with RWBY to tackle it badly. 


	22. Unravel

* * *

_Taylor_

“I release your souls, and by my shoulder, protect thee.”

A hundred pinpricks of information burst into bonfires as my connection to the bugs on my skin heightened like never before.

I had been right; it had been bugs with unlocked Aura that had felt off to me. My Scroll still couldn’t detect their signatures. The amount of Aura each had was dismal at best; even under a microscope, there was no visible color. 

What I had discovered was that I could flare my bugs’ Aura, just enough to activate a Dust crystal. I couldn’t control the effects, but I would be able to set off uncontrolled explosions with them without needing to have an enemy attack the Dust or find a way to forcibly make the Dust react.

I sent my newly awakened swarm back and prepared for the next batch to sneak their way into the Beacon gardens, but stopped when I noticed a familiar figure strutting down the path toward me.

“Hey, hotshot,” I heard from behind me. I turned to see a pair of shaded aviators being pulled down to let their wearer give me a once over. “What happened to the stuff we got together?” Coco asked, a mix of appraisal and vexation in her voice.

“It’s been a while, Coco, and ‘hotshot’?” She took the seat across from me.

“Where did you get this anyway?” Coco continued, ignoring me in favor of my outfit. “I don’t recognize the brand or style…” she mused, more to herself than to me.

“I made it.”

“You _made_ it?” She leaned forward and took off her sunglasses with a smooth flourish, her face morphing into an almost predatory expression. “I wanted to talk with you, but now I _need_ to talk with you,” she stated with rapacious intensity.

“‘ _Hotshot"_?” I reiterated.

“Hey, you’re the one making waves, miss ‘first-ever-liaison-for-all-the-first-year-teams’.”

“It’s just how things turned out, miss ‘leader-of-the-number-one-ranked-team-at-Beacon’.” I hadn’t known that Team CFVY was famous at Beacon until a few weeks after school had started. They had earned a reputation for successfully completing every mission they went on.

Coco smirked as she slipped her sunglasses back on. “Touché.”

“Actually, I’m glad you’re here. I want your opinion on something.” I flipped through my Scroll to bring up my sketches for the designs of spider silk outfits I was spinning for everyone. The composition of Remnant’s spider’s silk hadn’t agreed with the usual dyes I used, which was holding my production back. “I wanted your opinion on these. I know Aura is easier to use through outfits the person likes, so I wanted to make sure these were… fashionable, I guess.” I passed my Scroll over to let her skim through the sketches.

“Hey! There she is!” a new voice announced loudly.

Bugs had marked the pair casually strolling toward us, but I hadn’t expected them to be looking for me.

The speaker was a blond boy with an open shirt that showed a muscular physique, pointing at me with excitement. A monkey tail that poked out from a hole in his jeans swayed with his steps.

Beside him was a light-blue-haired boy with a smile that tried to ooze charm. A white button-up and tie hid under a red coat, and yellow-tinted goggles sat comfortably on his brow. Both boys were taller than me, the blond by maybe an inch while the other boy by a couple of inches.

“Can I help you?” I asked. _They’re students from another school… No uniforms. Posture doesn’t fit the military training Atlas students received. Most likely from Shade or Haven then._

“Well, yeah. No. Kinda?” The spiky-haired Faunus scratched his head. “We just heard about some awesome drill sergeant that Beacon’s first-year students have who beat up a bunch of those White Fang creeps! So, we came to meet her.”

Coco smirked amusedly, enjoying the show. “Drill sergeant?”

 _I’m not_ that _bad._

“Sorry, we didn’t get introduced. Name’s Neptune.” His white smile seemed to sparkle for a moment. “May I ask you two lovely ladies for your names?” His partner rolled his eyes.

“Coco.”

“Taylor.” _I guess everyone has heard about the White Fang takedown by now. Then again, a spot in the paper of us being presented medals wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, though Pyrrha got almost all the focus of the media._

“Oh, and I’m Sun,” he added, pointing to himself.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

Moments went by as Coco returned to her silent judgment of my clothing designs while the two boys waited there with smiles on their faces.

“Was there something else you needed?” I asked.

“I was kinda waiting to see if you would go do something cool, like bust up a crime ring or something. Vacuo was pretty intense, and Mistral usually has some kind of funny business going on, but you don’t get the spy stuff like that in either,” he said nonchalantly.

“I don’t have any plans to do something like that right now.”

“Not right now… but you’re planning on doing it later! Right on.” He pumped his fist in excitement. “I can’t wait!” _Can’t wait for what?_ “We’ll see you then! Come on Neptune, let’s check out the rest of the school,” he declared before heading off.

“Hope to see you two later,” Neptune stated smoothly with a wink before following Sun.

“I’m not sure what just happened,” I said.

“Seems like those boys invited themselves to your next crime date,” Coco remarked. _I doubt that’s what they meant._ “Also, these are… fine. They’re just boring. You have a problem with showing a little skin or something?”

“I’ve never been a fan of having openings that scream ‘stab here’ on them,” I remarked dryly.

“That’s what Aura is for. Nothing wrong with making them cute if you can.” Coco didn’t wait for my permission and began editing my sketches. “People’s outfits can tell you everything about them. That’s why you can’t trust a person who doesn’t fit their fashion.”

“I was worried they were a bit bland. Designing for looks isn’t really my thing.”

“Well, you came to the right girl.” She handed my Scroll back. “There, simple changes. I’m more of a shopper than a designer, but most of the time, all you need are the little touches to make an outfit.”

“Thanks for the help.” _At least, I hope everyone will like them._

“Consider it payment for what you did for—well, speak of the devil.”

Velvet Scarlatina had been timidly waiting for a group of other students to pass before she continued her hurried pace toward us. Blake was making her way from the opposite direction, ignoring the surprised stares she got as she went.

Lately, Blake had been forgoing her usual disguise. No one on the team said anything, only giving their silent support, except for the times I caught Yang threatening someone who made a remark. I'd seen Weiss doing the same a few times too, maybe trying to make up for her earlier behavior. Although, she hadn’t advertised her help or used it to try and get closer to Blake, so it seemed she had given Blake’s word some thought.

“Coco, there you are—” Velvet froze in surprise when I turned my head, then she glared at Coco with uncharacteristic anger. “Coco, I said that I was going to talk to her.”

“It’s not like I planned this. Besides, you were taking too long, and I haven’t said anything yet.”

Velvet frowned before turning to me, and she instantly shifted to a more nervous stance—a habit I had noticed she did with anyone that she didn’t know. “Thank you for stepping in before, in the cafeteria. I know it’s long overdue but… thank you.” There was a subtle resentment that hid behind a curtain of sincere gratitude.

“I should have handled it better than I did. I’m sorry for bringing that kind of attention to you,” I said.

Her ears drooped for a moment. “No, it’s fine, I—Thank you again.”

She looked like she wanted to say more, but she was stopped short as Blake arrived.

“Taylor”—Blake glanced between Coco and Velvet—“I didn’t know you knew Team CFVY.”

“I met Coco just before school started, and I’m technically only meeting Velvet for the first time now.” I turned to Velvet. “I wouldn’t count our last interaction as an introduction. Anyways, this is Blake, a friend.” Blake gave a small wave.

“Of course we know who she is, everyone in the school was watching her holding that spitfire between her legs”—Coco’s smile twitched into a teasing smirk—“as they swung across a canyon to save you,” she finished.

I hadn’t known Beacon’s initiation was live-streamed for the rest of the students.

Velvet stood speechless, transfixed on Blake’s cat ears before she looked at Blake with an understanding gaze. 

“Anyway, Weiss wanted me to grab you so that you could help plan for our trip to town later,” Blake said, not amused at Coco’s phrasing.

“She wants to do an itinerary?” Blake nodded, and I sighed. “We’ll see you around Coco, you too, Velvet.” We waved them goodbye before heading off to join the rest of our team.

* * *

The students from other schools had arrived earlier that week.

The other Huntsmen-in-training were… interesting. There were many overtly weird characters in Remnant, apparently. 

One group from Mistral had gone as far as to check their room for listening devices and cameras. Their leader had ordered them against any discussion until they were done. So far, they had checked with two different devices that I guessed picked up microphones and cameras before they got to work making sure their Scrolls were secure. A little too paranoid, but understandable if they suspected Ozpin would spy on them. He did watch his students through the school cameras.

In Vale, the hazy outline of the Amity Colosseum had finally appeared on the horizon. It was barely a dot above the water, but the floating structure must have been immense to be seen from so far away. 

It would still take another month and a half to arrive above Vale due to how slowly it moved, but the fact that Remnant had created a man-made flying island just to host a tournament was impressive.

“We agreed on Mistralian cuisine!” Weiss argued, her voice carrying over the sounds of the many pedestrians we passed on the sidewalk.

“But that’s what we got at the last movie night. We should try something else,” Ruby protested.

My bugs caught a couple walking toward a nearby park before they abruptly turned down an alley and began circumventing the park entirely. It wouldn’t have been notable except both were discussing going to the park, and neither seemed to notice their change in direction. Odd, but I supposed they wanted to take longer on their walk.

“I’m down for anything,” Yang said.

“I wouldn’t mind some sushi,” Blake chimed in.

“See, Blake agrees with me!” 

Three different groups turned away from the park as well, as though they hit an invisible barrier that they couldn’t pass. None seemed to notice.

_A Stranger effect?_

My bugs moved to investigate.

“That’s only because she wants fish!” Ruby objected. “Taylor, what do you think?”

“I wouldn’t mind trying somewhere new—” My entire world narrowed to one person.

My bugs couldn’t land on her, but they could fly _through_ three figures behind her, even though it felt like moving through molasses. Even if it gave me a headache, I tried to get a view through my bug’s hazy, kaleidoscopic vision and saw shimmering colors, as if the three figures were made of faded light. They stood around a shorter, blurry figure, probably sitting. 

_Glaistig Uaine_. 

This couldn’t be a coincidence. The fucking Faerie Queen had come for me. Across from her was an empty chair with a teacup ready. 

There was nothing I could do. No one could possibly do anything against her, and I would need a lot of Huntsmen with specific abilities working in tandem to even be considered a nuisance to her.

Glaistig Uaine was more dangerous than anything on Remnant.

“Taylor? Is something wrong?”

_Is she here to kill me? Or… is she here to take me away?_

“Yo, coach, what’s up… Taylor, seriously _,_ you have a scary look on.”

_Am I going to be taken from my friends again? Can I even say goodbye? No, they would either try to come with me or stop me… I won’t be the cause of their deaths._

“I’ve changed my mind.” I did my best to keep my voice as collected as possible. “Let’s get some Mistralian food. There’s that place by CCT tower, right?”

“That’s a bit of a walk,” Yang stated, studying me as though trying to find something.

“Good, we’ll get to see what other attractions are being set up.”

“I’m glad that at least one of you looked at my schedule for today,” Weiss huffed.

“You all go on ahead.” _I’m sorry._ “I want to pick something up quickly. I’ll catch up to you,” I lied.

“Alright then, we’ll meet you there, I guess,” Yang said.

Ruby gave me one last look of concern before walking off with the others.

Each step I made echoed another lament. It was a cold kind of peace; after all, some things were just inevitable. Whatever Stranger effect Glaistig Uaine had didn’t register for me.

_Only have my Stinger in my wrist, and enough bugs for basic scouting at best. They’re mostly fruit flies anyway, and I don’t have any time to prepare. Fuck._

I didn’t tremble or hesitate. I felt guilty that I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was resigned to whatever was going to happen or not. There was no time to think it over anyway.

Sunlight slipped through partings in the leaves where she sat alone in the middle of the park.

Glaistig Uaine looked older than I remembered, around my own age instead of the young teenage appearance she wore before.

How she was able to seemingly age several years in a matter of months wasn’t a real surprise. She was one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, at least, out of all the worlds I had seen through Clairvoyant. 

She wore a lacy sky-blue summer dress and her thick, braided hair tumbled down her right shoulder. Seeing her wear something so mundane and normal was unsettling.

There was no mistaking it was her though, not with the three ghostly specters that shimmered behind her. Each infringed on the natural order with their very presence. Two of them I recognized immediately, and then, I knew there truly was no chance to escape.

One was Gavel, possibly as a show of force. A wispy, broad, giant specter of black and browns that slowly faded before pulsing with new color. Sparks danced along the ethereal hammer held in his grip.

The other was Doormaker, who looked rather plain, almost human, for one of Glaistig Uaine’s specters. Small patches of energy spread along his skin and followed the paths of his fingers, the same color as his portals. 

I had drained his passenger’s power dry, but Glaistig Uaine must have killed him and fixed that… or maybe he was another casualty of Khepri. I _thought_ I had let him go, but my memories of who I had commanded, controlled, or gotten killed was muddied by my degrading state, in the end.

His presence explained how she arrived. 

The last was most likely a Stranger. Sections of what looked like miniature orange walls lifted off her skin and around the ragged skirt she wore. Her legs ended in spikes instead of feet. I hadn’t a single clue of who she was. 

I took in a sharp breath and wiped away the thoughts of my friends and Beacon. I remembered how she had acted, seeing the parallels to when I had talked with Nilbog.

And so, the curtains opened, and we began the scene. 

I moved, posture straight, and in the open. Safe, unthreatening, polite. Seeing her in person had my bugs squirming as I pushed down my feelings.

She remained the picture of poise and presence. Palpable confidence that bled sophistication as she drank a cup of tea. 

That image muddied as she glanced _behind_ me, eyes narrowing in what was either suspicion or surprise. Something with my Passenger?

My bugs didn’t find anything or anyone, and I didn’t dare turn away.

“Faerie Queen,” I greeted politely with a slight bow.

Pride, anger, spite—they didn’t matter to the Faerie Queen. She knew my abilities, and I knew hers, and there was _nothing_ I could do against her if she decided to end me. All I could hope to do was to mitigate whatever fate she had chosen for me.

Her brow knitted. “Greetings. Though, I have abandoned the title and duty of ‘Faerie Queen’, as well as set aside that of ‘Glaistig Uaine’,” she stated, the announcement stunning me for a short moment.

“I apologize.” Manners were paramount when dealing with her. “What shall I call you then?”

“Let us set aside titles at this juncture. You may call me Ciara.” _Is that her real name?_

“Then you can call me Taylor,” I replied, feeling unsteady on my feet. 

Her smile was small and didn’t seem comfortable for her, like a gemstone that was never displayed, dusty and dulled. 

She gestured to the seat across from her. I noted that _she_ was the one who made the motion instead of one of her ghosts. I sat down.

The Stranger ghost picked up the kettle and filled my cup.

“I was wondering when something like this would happen, though I had suspected that Contessa would be the one that showed up,” I stated, taking a sip from the cup. There was no reason to poison me when Ciara could kill or incapacitate with a touch.

Black tea with milk and honey, exactly as I liked it. 

“That is curious, why would you have thought the Champi— _Contessa_ would be the one to greet you?” she asked inquisitively.

I frowned. “Aren’t you here at her request?”

“No. Nor am I beholden to her call,” she stated, failing to stifle a small scoff.

“Sorry. I just thought that she would arrive at some point to tell me why she left me on this world.”

She blinked twice at me, the only indication of her surprise. “Contessa was not the one that left you here. I was,” she explained. 

_What?!_

“No, wait. That—Ruby arrived just in time to save me. That couldn’t have been a coincidence,” I insisted.

_I was left here for a reason, wasn’t I?_

“I was given a second chance in the new world. A kindness I passed forward,” she said, looking pointedly at me. “After I had found you and chosen this world, I consulted Contessa to guarantee your survival once left here.”

_There had to be a reason._

“So, what? You just left me here on a whim?” I gaped at her. “There had to have been a reason for placing me here.” _Had I been wrong? Was there really no Path or purpose for why I was here?_

“I chose this world for you because I thought it was beautiful.”

Doormaker raised his hands, the lights along his skin blinking and beaming rapidly as the first portal opened next to us. A hexagonal window that showed a never-ending forest of blood-red leaves that fell like gentle rain; Forever Fall, just outside Vale. Another portal revealed a misty forest with vibrant hues of green and blue, the trees spiraling around one another to corkscrew into gargantuan towers that blocked the sky. The next was of a dark cavern with luminescent violet and magenta crystals that lined and ripped through the brown and steely stone.

More and more portals opened up, showing skylines of impossible colors and beauty, scenery of fantastical nature, and other wonders around Remnant that were bewitching in their perfection.

I had seen some photos on my Scroll of Remnant, but none could have done it justice.

_But that beauty couldn’t be the reason for why I was here, right?_

“Is that really it? I’m here because you liked how this world looked?” I questioned with disbelief, my voice quiet and frail.

“My warriors indicated that you would be either killed or permanently imprisoned if you weren’t sent to a world where no one knew you.”

“Then why this one?! I saw the other Earths; why pick this one and not one that was like Earth Bet?!” I was shouting now, but I didn’t care about restraining myself for Glaistig Uaine, not right now.

“Would you have been satisfied on a world where you couldn’t go out and help others?” A disappointed furrow formed on her brow.

_…No, I wouldn’t have._

So many of the worlds I saw didn’t have the level of threats that I would have been used to. They were… peaceful. And because of that, I didn’t think I would have been happy living on them.

_God, I’m fucked up._

“I… I just thought… that there was something _more_ for me to do.” I took a few steadying breaths. “I apologize for my outburst.” My Scroll buzzed; I ignored it.

“There is no need. It was a very… human reaction,” she said.

_Had I still held onto the hope that there was some higher purpose for me out there? Something more important for me to do? How arrogant am I?_

“I enjoy it here. There are no agents haunting the people here.” The way she said that, it was like she was admitting to being _disturbed_ by seeing other’s passengers. Then again, I could only imagine what kind of nightmarish visage she must see behind every parahuman she had encountered, if they were anything like her ghosts. “No, they exude a radiant spectrum that rivals the most beautiful of sights.”

“The people have lights?”

“Some do, many don’t. You have one. Your agent as well.” 

“...My passenger is glowing?”

“Yes. Your light is a somber gray, like the ashes of a brilliant blaze. The Queen Administrator bursts with a starry silver. I haven’t seen such a phenomenon before.”

My heartbeat doubled. 

Ever since Ruby unlocked my Aura, my powers had been different. No change in range no matter what I felt. I had thought it had been because of how I healed. 

Like ice spreading across a lake, a wave of dread ran down my back.

My passenger’s Aura had unlocked with mine. 

_What does that mean? Was it even possible to unlock Aura through the dying connection I had with my passenger? Or had it—she—they? Had_ she _learned it by observing me? What could my passenger even do with Aura?_

I had one of the few Rapier Wasps I brought with me land on the back of my wrist.

“Did she glow just now?” I asked before I noticed the shocked expression on Ciara’s face. 

“How are you doing that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was surprised to see the Administrator at all. Your connection to her almost entirely severed, you should not have her power. She should not be _able_ to give it to you. I can _see_ that the connection is all but gone. Yet, she follows you, _clinging_ on, and you still have her power. How? Why?”

“What?! I had just thought Contessa had destroyed whatever part of my brain that had changed my powers, so afterward, they reverted back.” 

Doormaker broke into fragments that faded like dust in the wind, only for another to take his place. A blue specter with red bands of ghostly glass along their limbs and covering their eyes.

This ghost I did recognize from old videos in the PRT’s PR classes. Fragility was a hero whose personality was apparently similar to their power, which made them an example of how not to interact with the public.

They were a Thinker/Striker who could see and specifically attack the insides of their opponents. They could crush your heart without damaging the rest of your body. 

“Blemished Sight, show me,” Ciara stated and her eyes flashed blue in one eye and red in the other. _Fragility could grant others their power?!_ “No, your gemma is still crippled… Though part of it looks healed… recently healed—”

Like stars vanishing from the night sky, my connection to my bugs vanished. It was all just… gone.

I staggered in my seat, bracing myself on the table as a wave of nausea crashed in my head.

The Rapier Wasp on my hand went ballistic, writhing and stinging my hand in a berserk fashion. My Aura shielded me, and I tossed the insect away.

Ciara grabbed her head in pain. Gavel disappeared and a different shade quickly took his place—a small child with long hair that reached the ground, her face a cracked porcelain mask set in a concerned frown. 

The child lifted her hand and an eerie turquoise light erupted from it. As Ciara was enveloped, her strain visibly eased, and the Rapier Wasp stopped moving as well. 

Instead, it froze in place and took up an unnatural stillness. It wasn’t dead, it had just stopped moving entirely.

I was ready to bolt despite there being no way I would escape.

Then, all at once, a piercing spike of concrete information lanced through me. My metal arm clamped even tighter onto the table, bending the metal around each finger with my grip.

My connection to my bugs snapped back into place along with a dull pounding headache.

“What… the fuck?” I was gasping for air, letting the sudden pain slowly fade.

Ciara righted herself, an echo of discomfort still on her face. “So much information. So, that is the other side of the coin,” she muttered, still shaken.

“Wha—you—you took my powers?”

“No. I did not, yet I felt like I did. The Administrator… gifted them to me somehow, yet she didn’t leave your side.” 

“What do you mean?”

“The Administrator glowed brightly, and somehow granted me your power. Agents should not be capable of that,” she stated seriously. 

_It isn’t possible for parahuman powers, but maybe a Semblance could do that._

“Fuck.” 

“You understand what happened?”

_No point lying to her, I’m sure she has ways to know if I’m not telling the truth._

“On this world, there’s a thing called Aura. They say it’s made of a person’s soul.” I displayed my undamaged hand. “It can shield a certain amount of harm. It can also manifest into what they call a Semblance. A unique ability that can range from telekinesis, memory manipulation, or anything really. It’s very similar to parahuman powers.”

_Does that mean my passenger’s Semblance is to give people the powers I had? Why? Did it somehow make sure that its Semblance would manifest in that way? Was it because of how we were connected as Khepri right before its Aura was unlocked? Why hadn’t it transferred my powers onto anyone else so far?_

“So, the Administrator developed an ability that lets others mimic your previous powers, yet she has only used that ability on you?” 

“I don’t know why either.” _If it is my passenger’s Semblance, then I could lose my insects at any time. Just like that… gone._

I let out a heavy breath that hissed through gritted teeth.

“I will have to see then,” she stated.

The child ghost dissipated. In her place was a spindly, tall shade, hunched over, reminding me of an old crow. Its unnaturally long arms ended in elongated fingers, and its dark gray form was in constant flux as thousands of overlapping ripples washed over it. Empty eye sockets stared at nothing and everything.

No, not a crow. Some kind of demonic crone.

Ciara blinked, and the white of her eyes was devoured by the same dark gray of the crone.

I didn’t know who the new ghost was or what Ciara was doing. The silence grew along with my heart rate, but I hoped Ciara would have some insight into what was happening with my Passenger.

Finally, the color in her eyes slowly melted back into their original brilliant green. 

She frowned, the melancholy look reverberating through her posture as she leaned back. Even the crone had its fingers interlocked, empty eyes downcast.

Ciara opened her mouth and—

I was standing, my chair lying on the grass a few feet behind me. There was a ringing in my ears and spots in my vision, and my movements felt dull and uncoordinated. It felt like I had been hit with a stun grenade. My bugs surrounded us—I must have called them closer to me at some point. The blade in my wrist was out, already cooling in the air.

“Whawu?” I babbled. I had to open and close my mouth to force blood to flow back through my cheeks. “What happened?” I spoke slowly, making sure each bit of punctuation came out correctly.

 _I was… in a park? Fighting? Where were the others_ — _Wait, Remnant. I was in Remnant. Shouldn’t I be with_ — _Glaistig Uaine._

I blinked away the haze and turned to the former Faerie Queen. “What did you do?” I snarled.

“Maybe the most human thing I’ve ever done,” she stated, almost unsure of herself. She hadn’t moved from her seat. “...Your epilogue has become a sequel. One that, I hope, will not become another tragedy.” She sounded like she didn’t trust the words.

The crone had been replaced by an androgynous ghost made of violet waves that crashed against the air around it. Their facial features smoothed over like a mannequin. 

“What happened?” I asked again, more controlled but still furious.

“We had a... discussion. One that forced you into a role that was… not something you should have to be.” She took a drink of tea, and I saw how tightly she was gripping the cup. “Thus, I expunged the memory.”

“You erased my memories?!” _How fucking dare she?!_

“I have. A vulgar, selfish deed, but one I believe is a necessity.” She pursed her lips in thought. “It feels oddly human to do this selfish thing. ”

“You think that you can toy with my memories just because you want to play at being a shitty person?!”

“Fate has spun consequences to your deeds, so very ironic and mocking that it truly justifies a story. Before, I chose not to act for reasons I did not know, and now I act with reasons I can not justify.” She met my eyes. “I did what feels _right.”_

“Whatever it is you told me, I’ll be the one to choose how I deal with it. Not you,” I ground out.

Her lips pursed. “This issue was above you, and you deserve to live your life as you have without it. You will come to know it in time, but this world is your second chance, and it should not be rotted by your own doubts.” 

_My own doubts? FUCK! Whatever it was, it was enough to make me consider_ attacking _fucking Glaistig Uaine._

I vibrated in rage, letting my swarm bite and flail about as an outlet for my fury.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

_Okay, I don’t think Ciara would lie to me. She’s very cryptic and nonsensical at times, but not a liar. She genuinely believes that not telling me is for the best and that it won’t change anything even if I did know. It’s possibly something that would make me undermine myself or become self-destructive? Damn, there’s not enough to narrow anything down._

“So, I’m just supposed to accept what you did to me and that’s it?”

“It is your right to be angry or distrustful. A natural reaction.” _Well, great. I’m allowed to be angry with her but can’t fucking do anything about it._ “Would you be willing to sit with me once more?” she asked carefully and somewhat uncertainly.

I debated leaving. From her question, I didn’t think she would stop me, but there were still things I wanted to know.

The sliding metal of my Stinger hissed as it retracted back into my arm. I took my time going back and grabbing my chair before sitting back across from Ciara. My Scroll buzzed again in my pocket.

“Thank you,” she stated. “Now, do you know why I came here?” Her tone was subdued now, almost hesitant.

“That’s it, we’re just going to ignore what just happened?”

“I will not speak on the matter any longer, and you, naturally, do not have the power to change that.” Her voice resonated through the air and her ghosts looked ready to pounce forward at me.

_Fine then._

“Then no. To answer your question, I don’t know why you’re here. Not anymore.”

“I wanted to examine how you moved on, what you decided to do.”

“What?”

“You are the only one who has had such a deep connection to their agent and managed to come back from it. The only one whose perspective has been _merged,_ yet remains human. All the others, like Sleeper or the Ash Beast, were consumed by their bonds. My other half is calmer, more obliging toward myself, which has allowed me to retain some manner of ego. We have both been given opportunities to continue on, despite what should have been the end.” 

“You want perspective?” _That’s it?_ She nodded. 

My jaw worked slowly, dozens of things rising to the back of my throat. Threats, dismissals, questions, demands, but none of them really mattered. For Ciara, I was possibly the one person who understood the loss of humanity, the weight of death, and trying to begin again. I would try and give her answers, then I would get my own.

“I don’t know if I… I’ll try to answer,” I said.

She gave the slightest bow of her head. “You chose to continue fighting.” An observation, not a question.

“I did… I needed to.” Or maybe it was the only thing I could see myself doing. “Did you?”

“In a way, yes. As a part of the Wardens—the Protectorate’s successor.” _Wardens, huh? I hope they do a better job than the Protectorate did._

“Why?”

“I had always known what I would do at the end. Guiding the dead was my duty. Yet, I turned away from that. I have a... responsibility to make up for all the lives I ended that got me to that point.”

“Redemption?”

“Or a sibling of it, I suppose.”

“I guess I’m doing the same, in a way,” I started, unsure of the destination. “I don’t know if there’ll ever be forgiveness”—for myself or from others—“but I want to do things differently. Better. Do it right this time around. I’m… still learning, but I hope I can change so that I don’t end up where I did.”

Ciara nodded, a controlled motion that gave nothing away. 

“May I ask some questions of my own?” I asked.

“Of course. As repayment... and recompense.”

“How are things, after Scion?”

“The worlds are scarred but starting to heal. The Endbringers have gone dormant”— _thank god_ —“and for now, and for years to come, humanity will limp toward retrieving its previous status. Though, there are new obstacles. It will take time.” 

“The Undersiders, my old team. Tattletale, Imp, Rach—Bitch—they might still be calling her Hellhound, and Grue? Do you know how they’re doing?”

“I have heard of their actions from the Wardens. While they act on separate worlds at times, they are known to be companions.” _They’re all on different worlds now?_ _Some of the portals are still up then._ “Tattletale centers herself in many things, as both informant and mastermind.” I couldn’t help but smile; it was obvious what Lisa would be up to. “Imp leads a group known as the Heartbroken, a collection of children from Heartbreaker.” _So Imp’s still with them_. “I hear little about the one called Bitch.” She did mostly keep to herself, but I trusted that no news was good news for Rachel. “And I do not know one called Grue,” she finished.

_So, he stayed in retirement? Or is he just not making waves?_

“He produces black smoke that blocks the senses, and he gets a version of the powers of any parahuman in the smoke. He retired during the battle with Scion though. I guess it’s good that he hasn’t drawn any eyes.”

Ciara sat straighter for a moment and her brow furrowed. Her eyes reflected something that I couldn’t make out.

“...I collected such an individual during the Gold Morning.”

My breath hitched. “What do you mean?” My tone was calm and quiet, like a wall of ice holding back a flood. 

“He joined the dead at the battle on the oil rig. You were there, did you not see?” Slight curiosity in her polite voice.

Everything was white noise except for the thunderous, painful beat of my heart. 

_They wouldn’t have lied to me… would they?_

“You’re lying.” I left any attempt at placating her behind, venom bleeding into my voice.

_If this is some kind of sick joke, I’ll kill her._

Ciara gave me a pitying look, closed her eyes, and Fragility vanished. “I am sorry, Taylor.”

Black smoke poured out from nothingness and coalesced together, forming into a humanoid shape. Tall and bulky, a skull-like head obscured behind the infinite torrent of midnight smog that moved around him.

Brian. 

The world fell away.

_They lied to me… because they knew what it would do to me. Just like how I avoided learning about my dad’s fate._

My laugh was short, bitter, and full of self-hate.

_Brian had tried to leave, and I made him fight._

“I believe it would be best if I took my leave. Farewell, Taylor. While you may not remember it, I will keep my promise,” Ciara stated before Doormaker appeared once more. 

_It was my fault._

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a hollow breath.

Ciara stepped through a portal, and I was left alone.

I leaned back in my chair, letting my head slump back to look at the canopy of trees and the bits of sky speckled in it. 

_Even as Khepri, I had enough sense to spare my friends. To save them from me._

Sounds droned in the background, and my hair shifted with a slight breeze. I didn’t feel it, I was already too numb.

 _But all it took to kill Brian was Taylor. The girl who chose to throw away her friends. Who was willing to sacrifice everything for her goals. Who chose to become a monster. Not Khepri,_ me _. I was the monster._

I sluggishly stood up, knocking over my chair as I stumbled toward the bushes.

_Who’s the next person I care about that I’m going to hurt?_

I put a hand against a tree for support and vomited, spewing bile and then empty heaves when I didn’t have anything left to puke.

There was always the chance that Brian could have been hurt or killed, but there was a fraction of a chance he could have helped, and I judged that as being more important than my friend’s life. The same reasoning I used to kill a toddler. 

_Skitter, Weaver, Khepri. I was trying to be better as Taylor. What a joke._

People began to make their way to the park. Their voices echoed amongst the trees.

_I need to get away._

I walked aimlessly, heading anywhere but there.

_There’s nothing for me to do here. Nothing important, nothing with meaning._

My footsteps fell harder on the concrete as I began to jog. 

_I don’t even have full control over my powers. My passenger can just give them away to someone else on a whim._

Buildings and people blurred by me as I moved into a sprint. The pounding of my heart and my haggard breath felt dull in my chest. The noise of the city faded away.

_I need to be alone… just for a bit._

I wasn’t sure where I was, but I didn’t care.

_My Passenger played a hand in what I did as Khepri, in my degrading mental state. I don’t have that excuse for killing Brian._

I finally reached a dead-end in some back alley. I ran to the end and slammed my hand against the brickwork before slumping down to the ground.

_I thought I was doing better, opening up and maybe even moving forward. But how could I be better to the people I care about if I throw them away for my own goals? As if everything was fine if the end was good enough to balance it out._

Everything else faded to nothing except for the single damning thought.

_I’m still the monster I’ve always been._

**Chapter 22 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, TheBiggerFish, TheSleepingKnight, and garneredAcrimony (:D) for their help. I shall prepare the baby goat slathered in mustard for each of you, as promised.
> 
> A thank you to Twei as well for offering to let me spitball ideas at them. 
> 
> Finished RWBY After the Fall. I found it… remarkably unremarkable. Anyway, we learn about Team CFVY, mostly that Velvet was way better friends with Team RWBY (Specifically Ruby and Weiss) than shown, and that they’re apparently pretty famous and implied that they’re one of the strongest teams at Beacon. Also, Velvet is pretty sassy to her team, which was interesting to see.
> 
> Mistral cuisine? Mistralian? Mistralese? Whatever.
> 
> I will say that what Ciara erased had nothing to do with the Brothers, Maidens, etc. It was specifically for Taylor's own good.


	23. Reflection

* * *

_Ruby_

“She’s not answering…” I grumbled.

I rested my chin on the table and let my arms spread straight out, holding my Scroll and willing Taylor’s reply to appear.

“It’s Taylor, I’m sure she’s fine,” Yang remarked with a wave of her hand, a cold drink in the other.

“But she always answers me, like right away!” _Straight away! Except for that time I texted her about her arm… and her sword… and her gun… Okay, maybe not_ all _the time._ “You don’t think anything happened, right?”

“It has been some time, long enough that _some_ of us”—Weiss glared at Yang and me—“couldn’t be patient enough to wait before ordering. Regardless, Taylor’s perfectly capable of handling herself,” Weiss stated.

_But that look Taylor had before she left…_

The heel of my foot bounced rapidly, and I sent another message.

_Come on, Taylor…_

“Rubes! Slow your roll! You're shaking the table!” Yang stated, lifting her drink so that it stopped vibrating with my leg.

“Sorry! I just feel like something’s up.”

“I’m sure Taylor is okay, but if you’re worried, we can go check on her. She’s just in the park,” Blake said.

“Right on! Let’s go—wait, how did you know where she was?” I asked.

Blake sheepishly turned away and slipped her Scroll into her pocket. A small flush spread across her pale face. _Awwwwww, she was already checking on the location of Taylor’s Scroll._

“Okay, I’m going to run off ahead—I’ll see you guys there,” I stated quickly before zipping off toward the park.

I heard Weiss cry out behind me, but I was already down the street and leaping up onto the roofs for a quicker route.

_Oops, I didn’t pay for my drink… Weiss will get it._

My Semblance helped me reach the outskirts of the park in just a couple of minutes. I hoped that I wouldn’t get in trouble for jumping across the rooftops.

I checked my Scroll and Taylor was still in the park, so I headed straight in her direction and—

_Why am I going this way?_

Glancing around, I noticed that I had somehow turned and gone around the park instead of into it.

_Huh._

I jumped down to the street level and made sure that I had a straight line to the park. I rushed down it, only to find myself suddenly down a side street heading away from the park. 

_How? I was moving straight toward it… is someone using their Semblance?_

The cold hand of fear brushed down my spine.

_Taylor’s in trouble!_

I leapt back onto the rooftops and got close enough that I knew I could make it in one jump. I faced toward the middle of the park and got down into a sprinter’s position. My Semblance erupted through me, and I rocketed off the roof with a mighty bound.

Rose petals flooded the air behind me as I slowly began to drop into the park.

_Even if someone’s using some kind of Semblance to keep people away, they can’t change my direction in mid-air!_

The park flew by beneath me, and I quickly overshot where I was aiming for.

_Oops, too fast—_

I crashed through a series of branches, and I did _not_ land butt first onto a rose bush.

After a moment of _not_ picking thorns out of my clothes and peeling leaves and sticks out of my hair, I brought out my Scroll to check Taylor’s location.

_Annnnnnndddddddd she’s left the park._

I groaned out loud and moved to follow her. At first, Taylor was only a couple of blocks away, but her signal was moving pretty fast, like she was running...

_Oh no! She’s being chased!_

I sent a quick message to Yang to get everyone to hurry. My finger hovered over the button to call my locker with Crescent Rose in it.

_I don’t have time to wait… but what can I do without Crescent Rose?_

“Aaaarrrggghhhhh!” I shouted in frustration and started after Taylor. _What is the point in Taylor beating me up every week if I don’t actually use those hand-to-hand lessons?!_

I called out to Taylor but got no response. People around me yelled in anger or surprise but none of it mattered, not now. Something was wrong.

Taylor veered further away from the crowded streets and out of sight around a corner.

I reached the mouth of the alley Taylor ran down and looked around for whatever was chasing her. There was no sign of any pursuers—except me—but what I did see was way worse.

Taylor slammed her fists into the rear wall of the dead-end alley, creating two small craters. Then she just crumpled, sluggishly sliding down the wall until she was seated. 

I started toward her but froze when I saw a huge spider-roach perched on the wall. Another one was a few feet above it. And another… and another and... Oh god, there were so many.

I choked back a squeal, but the nasty bugs didn’t move at all. They were actually perfectly still. Very weird, even creepier than they normally were.

“T-Taylor?” I shout-whispered, hoping the bugs wouldn’t start moving.

Taylor was hugging one knee to her chest and didn’t acknowledge me or move to do anything at all.

Before I could say anything else, a gray figure flashed into existence between us. It looked like a person made of a million motes of light.

It ran straight at Taylor, silent as a ghost. Lights trailed behind the figure’s head like long hair. 

Everything else fell away as I watched the phantom rush towards my friend.

“Taylor!” I screamed in alarm and bolted forward. It had appeared too close to Taylor and even with my Semblance, I knew I wasn’t going to get to her first.“Don’t you touch her!”

Instead of heading directly at Taylor, the figure slammed its fist against the wall beside her, smashing into the same craters Taylor had made and widening the cracks in the brickwork. It slumped down, crumpling, before overlapping with Taylor’s body, mimicking her motions. Then all the lights faded, and it was gone.

I skidded to a stop, but not before my hands slammed painfully into the wall, well below the marks Taylor and the figure had made.

_At least it wasn’t my face._

“Taylor! Are you okay? What happened? What was that thing? You didn’t…” _Her expression._ “...answer your Scroll…”

Two trails of tears, already drying, ran from puffy eyes. Her usual serious face was gone; instead, there was simply nothing. No emotion. No sadness from whatever made her cry. Not even recognition that I was there. 

I wasn’t sure what to do. This was _Taylor_. I couldn’t even imagine anything that could do this to her.

“I wanted to do better,” Taylor stated tonelessly, not looking up.

“Taylor? W-what’s wrong?” No reaction. Like she didn’t hear me at all.

“I thought it was just a matter of choosing to do things differently, the right way, like all I had to do was not be like Skitter, or Weaver, or Khepri.”

“Who?” I wasn’t sure if Taylor even knew who she was talking to, or if she just needed to say the words out loud. 

“But now, I see the problem. I kept going, all because I didn’t want to look back and just fucking admit that I was _wrong_ ,” she snarled, a deep scowl covering her face, only to disappear behind a bitter smile. “As if everything I did was okay if I accomplished my goal. So fucking confident that I would be right in the end.” Emotion drained away with each word, and it was a shell of a person, not Taylor, that finished the sentence.

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” I started but stopped when Taylor raised her head, and I saw empty eyes stare back at me.

“If you found out you killed someone you cared about, what would you do?”

“I-I, uh…” My thoughts short-circuited. 

I didn’t believe her. Taylor could be harsh, but never evil. She wasn’t a killer. She’d never do that to someone she cared about, I knew that. There had to be something else, something that made whatever Taylor thought she had done make sense. 

Whatever it was, it didn’t stop the crushing sadness Taylor felt.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. If… If _I_ had been the one who got Yang killed somehow… Or Dad, or Weiss, or Blake, or Taylor... Just the thought made my eyes watery. My stomach churned, and I wanted to hide under my cloak.

“No answer? You’re supposed to be one of my examples of—actually, it makes sense that you wouldn't know.” She dropped her gaze again. The action somehow isolated her from me—from everything.

The silence let everything sink in. This wasn’t stopping. This was real. Taylor might have killed someone, a friend. 

There weren’t words to help or make this better. I leaned down and hugged Taylor, cradling her head under my chin—the same way Yang comforted me when I needed it. It wasn’t enough, no matter how hard I wished it was.

“I’m not even surprised, it should have been obvious.” Taylor’s jaw clenched hard. I could practically feel her teeth grinding. “It should have been obvious.” Her tone was the same one Uncle Qrow whispered with under his breath when he had too much to drink and thought he was alone. I hadn’t ever heard the words, but I didn’t need to for the message to come across.

Taylor continued muttering the same line, scattered between swears and insults, all directed toward herself. Shortsighted, ignorant, blind; the list went on. 

It hurt to hear her say all sorts of terrible things about herself. I denied every insult, trying to make her feel better. Taylor was better than she thought she was. I knew she was, but she might as well have not heard me at all. Taylor had withdrawn, and I didn’t know how to bring her back out. 

Eventually, Taylor said nothing at all. 

Hugs weren’t helping. Words were ignored. 

_I… should at least get her away from here._

She didn’t resist as I looped an arm around her and stood her up. We had just stepped out of the alley when Blake landed in front of us, eyes frantically searching for danger, and a steak knife from the cafe at the ready. 

“What happened? Was it the White Fang? What—” Blake’s breath hitched when she caught Taylor’s expression. “Taylor, are you okay?” she asked, almost scared. 

Then, Blake’s eyes widened, and she appeared behind us in the alley, a clone fading away from her previous spot. One hand lay protectively over us while the other held the knife in a reversed grip.

Another gray figure, just like the one before, wandered toward us. Head down, pace slow, and an arm that looked like it was over someone’s shoulder—just like Taylor. 

“Blake, I think that’s Taylor’s Semblance,” I said.

“It is?” she asked, just as the lights that made up the figure broke apart and disappeared.

Something like a cross between a huff of laughter and a sigh left Taylor. “I felt it… A Semblance that repeats my own actions, how _appropriate_.” For an instant, there was a razor edge of hatred in her voice before it disappeared completely. “Even my own soul is telling me that I can’t change.” 

The ghostly tingles of goosebumps ran along my skin. I was worried and sad before; now I was scared too. Taylor sounded so _hollow_.

Blake met my eyes. She felt it too. 

“What happened?” Blake asked, voice faint and cautious.

“I-I don’t really know. Taylor’s…” _Unresponsive._ “She wasn’t attacked or anything. She said that…” The rest of the words caught in my throat. _Should I say it? That Taylor_ killed _someone? Someone she cared about?_ _Would that help her?_ “Nothing… she didn’t mention anything. I-I just found her like this…”

Blake didn’t say anything, studying my face, before nodding slowly. I knew I wasn’t a great liar, but hopefully, she hadn’t picked up on it. “Let’s get her back to our room,” she said and placed a hand on Taylor’s back for more support. 

Blake had a slight limp. She must have really pushed it to get here, enough that her Aura couldn’t fully absorb the impacts of her jumps. 

We slowly started back.

* * *

The trip back to Beacon felt like it took an eternity.

After I ran out of answers to Weiss and Yang’s questions, no one tried to talk. I had hoped Blake, Weiss, or especially Yang would think of something to say, but we all just sat in silence.

Weiss had been glancing at Taylor with a confused expression, like she was struggling with something. I wanted to ask her about it—she was my partner, after all, so I was the best person to talk to her—but I decided to wait till later when things were… less intense.

Yang was keeping a weird distance from Taylor, which I didn’t get. We were all friends and teammates, so why wasn’t she trying to help?! Yang always worked to cheer me up when I was feeling down, but now she was just _sitting_ there. Yang was so strong, she never let anything get her down. 

When Mom disappeared, I had sobbed into her shoulder so many nights… Yang had cried too, but she had always put me first, giving me a smile and a hug. She was the one I‘d thought would have known what to do for something like this. 

I definitely didn’t. I’d always been the one being comforted, not the one comforting. Now, I wasn’t the one hurting, and I had no idea what to do. I hated it. A good Huntress should be able to help anyone with anything, like a true hero. 

When I had started going back to school after Mom’s funeral, Bianca, Nickel, and Kohaku had been joking and cheering me up every chance they could, just like good friends would. They even sent me messages nowadays when I mentioned messing up a test, though it was much less frequently now that I was at Beacon while they were still at Signal. 

Now Taylor was the one who needed support, and I wasn’t sure how to give it. I had failed, as a Huntress and a friend. 

Blake and I sat at Taylor’s side in the Bullhead, trying to calm her when she came close to hyperventilating, but she didn’t seem to hear us and calmed herself down after a few frantic breaths. Taylor didn’t ask for help or tell us what the problem was. We couldn’t comfort her, so she had to do it herself. 

The airship landed, and we made our way to our room, guarding Taylor on all sides. Well, except for Yang, who was dragging behind us slightly.

Other students noticed us as we slowly made our way down the halls, usually staring at Taylor and talking amongst themselves. 

After we turned the corner to our dorm building, a blond boy I hadn’t seen before made his way toward us, his hands resting on the back of his head. It was nice to see someone with a smile, despite it feeling out of place right now.

“Yo, you’re Team RWBY, right?” Then he picked out Taylor and his smile dropped. “Hey, did Taylor get hurt beating up more baddies? I thought we were gonna do the crime-fighting thing together?” he said disappointedly. “You need help getting her to the med bay?” He then noticed Blake and gave her a weird wink for some reason. “Hey, I haven’t seen you before—"

Blake cut him off with a look that sent shivers down my spine. “Piss off,” she growled, dismissing the blond boy and focusing back on Taylor.

He flinched away from her. “Uh, sorry, I just—”

“Now’s not the best time. Maybe later?” I said hesitantly with a little wave and hurried back to walk alongside Taylor.

Weiss moved ahead to open our dorm for us, but Taylor pulled away toward Team JNPR’s door. Before we could say anything, Taylor gave a half-hearted knock on the door. Everyone shared a concerned look as the door opened to reveal Jaune in casual clothes, the rest of Team JNPR lounging behind him.

“Oh, hey guys, what’s…” Jaune trailed off as he noticed Taylor’s state. “What happened?” he asked seriously, concerned and shocked.

“Taylor!” Pyrrha shouted and was next to Jaune in an instant. “What’s wrong? What happened?!”

“Ren,” Taylor said, not looking up from staring at her feet. “I need you to use your Semblance on me.”

Pyrrha covered her mouth, looking unsure and more worried than I had ever seen her before.

“Taylor, I… I don’t think—” Ren started, worry breaking the usual calm cadence of his speech.

“Ren!” Taylor snapped. Slowly, Taylor raised her head to look at them. Her expression almost broke me. “ _Please_ ,” she calmly begged.

Ren looked around to his team; Jaune gave him an unsure nod, Pyrrha was only focused on Taylor as she fought with herself on what to do, and for the first time, there was no grin on Nora’s face, and none of her boundless energy. The rest of Team RWBY stood helplessly behind Taylor with mixed expressions of apprehension.

Carefully, Ren approached Taylor and put a hand on her shoulder. The colors of both her and Ren’s clothing seemed to shift into a duller shade as both their emotions were masked by Ren’s Semblance. I didn’t like the feeling of it when Ren had used it on each of us in practice, even if it only cloaked my negative emotions. But Taylor seemed to immediately become… stronger from it, in a way that left me queasy.

More silence, more waiting, more not being able to help.

“Taylor?” Pyrrha asked cautiously, daring to inch closer. “Are you okay? Wha-what happened?” Pyrrha was almost pleading.

“It’s not something you should be involved with,” Taylor stated evenly, eyes closed in concentration.

Pyrrha recoiled, like she had been burned. Her lip quivered, and she shrunk in on herself. “Oh,” was all she said, almost guiltily. 

Nora went over to Pyrrha and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I… I think that’s enough, Taylor. I’m going to let go,” Ren warned as he slowly retracted his hand.

The moment Ren’s Semblance deactivated Taylor gasped from the weight of whatever she was feeling and fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

I gave her a hug, and Taylor gently leaned into the embrace. I almost wished she was sobbing. That would have been better than this. More arms wrapped around us as we huddled together, half in the hallway and half in Team JNPR’s room. Together we held Taylor with all the warmth we could, not knowing how else to help.

I glanced at Pyrrha, who hadn’t joined in. She shook her head lightly, then gave me a small encouraging smile. I wasn’t sure what was going on. 

Yang hadn’t moved either, but I focused on Taylor instead.

If there was one thing I could accomplish with my life, I’d make sure that my friends never had to go through something like this. 

Never again.

* * *

We were eventually able to lead Taylor to her bed. She had murmured that she was tired, and no one disturbed her as she got under her covers. I wasn’t sure if she was actually going to sleep or just laying there.

Team JNPR stayed in their room, looking worried. They wanted to know what had happened but decided that giving Taylor space first was more important. Pyrrha hadn’t said anything, looking ashamed but still concerned. I hadn’t known they were that close, and I didn’t know why she looked like that. so guilty.

“What should we do?” Weiss asked in the hall outside our room, looking at me specifically.

“I… I don’t know.” _Some leader I was…_ “Yang, what do you think?”

“No clue,” she said with a helpless shrug. I was shocked over how distant Yang sounded.

“Well, for now, I’m going to study at my desk,” Weiss stated. The ‘and watch over Taylor’ went unsaid, but was understood.

“Imma take a walk,” Yang said and started down the hall before anyone could reply. 

I couldn’t believe it. Yang just _left_.

I was about to go after her when Blake gripped my shoulder like a vice. “Okay, tell me what really happened,” Blake said, yellow eyes almost glowing as she loomed over me.

“I, uh, I don’t know if I…” _Maybe Blake can help? She’s probably the closest to Taylor out of everyone I know. She might know what to do. No one else has done anything, and I can’t just do_ nothing _._ I swallowed my doubts. “She was running—I’m not sure from what or why—and ended up in that alley. Then she just crumpled.” The worry and fear was still fresh. “She started saying that she was a bad person, and how obvious it seemed and…” I shifted into a whisper without realizing it. “Blake, she said she killed someone, someone she cared about.”

Blake stilled, eyes drilling into mine. I instinctively flinched away, but her hand held me in place. A lot of things flashed over Blake’s face, so quick I wondered if I was just seeing things. 

After a long, tense, and kinda awkward silence, Blake let out a deep breath. “You haven’t told anyone else yet, right?” she asked cautiously.

“No… I wasn’t sure I should.” 

“Good. Don’t.”

“B-but, we—nobody has said anything. No one knows what to do.” _I don’t_. “Shouldn’t we ask for help? Maybe one of the professors—”

“No,” Blake stated adamantly. “That would only get Taylor in trouble… You want to help her, right?” she asked, face and grip softening. 

Of course I did. “Yeah.”

“Then you have to keep this a secret. From everyone. Understand?”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes. Do. You. Understand?” Her voice was level, but also almost… threatening? No, I was probably just imagining things.

“Okay, I won’t say anything.”

“Good. For now, let’s just see how Taylor adjusts. Give her time. Let her work some things out.”

“But, should we try and help? Make her feel better? I don’t know, she likes tea and books… maybe a reading tea party?” 

Blake gave me a sad smile. “That’s sweet, Ruby, but some things…” She looked away. “Some things you can’t just make better. Some things stay with you, keep hurting you, and won’t just go away. Only time can help.”

“Oh.” My body drooped. 

“She’ll get through this. And we’ll be with her as she does.” 

“...Okay.” _But I wanted to help now._

Blake nodded and quietly slipped into our room. I stayed in the hall, cloak bundled in my hands. 

It felt like no matter what I did, there wasn’t a right choice, but doing nothing... Mom wouldn’t have sat back while someone was hurting. A Huntress wouldn’t. If I couldn’t help her directly, then maybe there was something else. 

I went to look for Yang, hoping she might have an idea, and to ask why she wandered off. 

She was in the stairwell of the dorm, standing in front of the window on one of the plateaus between the sets of stairs. She was idly tapping on her Scroll, eyes drifting between it and the view outside. 

I could tell the site she was on from a distance: ‘The Crave’, a site that posted a bunch of lists of vehicles, clothes, pets doing funny things, food, and more. It didn’t post anything on weapons, so I wasn’t sure how it was supposed to make you ‘Give in to The Crave’. Bad slogan. 

Honestly, Yang walking off to look at a bunch of dumb lists when we had a friend in need made me mad. The Yang I knew wouldn’t have done something like this. 

“Yang,” I called out, walking down the steps to her.

She turned slowly, like a sloth, but um, faster than a sloth actually would. “Oh, need something, Rubes?” The lilac in her eyes seemed almost dull, and a frown didn’t budge from her face.

“I wanted to ask, well, what was that?” A bit of anger slipped into my question. Yang had walked away to read about bike parts!

“I get it. But, it’s fine.”

“What?!” I could believe Yang would just brush this off. 

“Look, it’s not like they need me. They’ll work it out on their own.”

“Yang, what are you talking about?” I didn’t understand. Of course we needed her, we needed all the help we could!

“I just… With Blake and Taylor, I just don’t…”

“What?! What could be the reason you’d just leave when our friend—”

“I don't know how to help, okay?! There. I don’t know what to do. Everything I tried with Blake and Taylor, even just trying to get to know Taylor, nothing worked! How am I supposed to help her with _this_ when everything I try doesn't work!” Yang exclaimed. “If you hadn’t noticed, Taylor and I aren’t exactly friends, either. Same with me and Blake.”

“So, what? You’re giving up just because you haven’t been able to be friends with them?” I asked, concerned but still a little disappointed in my sister.

“Some people just aren’t meant to be friends. It’s not a bad thing, it just happens. What Taylor needs is people she can feel safe with, people she’s close with. I’m not one of them.” 

“Don’t you want to help her?” I asked, almost not believing what I was hearing.

“Of course I want to help!” Yang yelled. 

“Then—”

“Look, Ruby, I don’t have the answers, alright?! I don’t know what to do! Stop pressuring me like I should!”

“What? I’m not—I didn’t mean to. I just thought—”

“Whatever it is, I can’t help, Rubes. I just… I opened up to Blake, and she still went off on her own. I asked Taylor that if Blake or her ever needed help, that she’d come to us, but then they went off and fought a bunch of criminals on their own anyway.”

“That was because—”

“I know why. I understand why, but still—I wanted to be there for them, I was, and they never needed me, or I just proved that I wasn’t the person who could help them when I didn’t call Weiss out on her shit and…” Yang grimaced, fists clenched, eyes closed; the same way she always did when she tried not to get mad. “ _I’m_ the problem here, Ruby. I’m supposed to be Blake’s partner, but I couldn’t help her. I want to be there for Taylor too, but I don’t know how.” She met my eyes. “If I could, I would, Ruby. But I don’t think I can.”

There were two times when I had heard Yang sound like this before. Once was after her bike broke down for the first time. Yang had been so excited when she got it that she had gone through maintenance and repair articles like I went through cookies. It was hers, and she wanted to keep it perfect, like I did for Crescent Rose. Unfortunately, even after three days of trying to figure out what was wrong, Yang hadn’t found the problem. She had tried so hard, but in the end, her stubbornness had worn down.

The other happened about a year and a half ago, when Yang had come home in the middle of the night, bruised and smelling like gunpowder. She’d marched straight to one of the practice dummies we kept set up behind the house, and punched it for a good twenty minutes straight. In the end, I had to help her back to the house. She had been exhausted when she arrived, and the last of her steam had been used up on turning the dummy to pulp. ‘I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be able to find a real clue, Ruby’, was all I got out of her before she was sleeping like a log… that also snored. A snoring log. 

It was the sound of defeat. Both times, she’d moped around for days afterward. No matter how many of my cookies I offered her, or hugs, or how much time I spent with her, she still sulked. But, she always thanked me, saying how it helped, even if it never really got her out of her funk. Eventually, something came along that brought Yang back to a hundred-percent.

Maybe this was like those times, for both Yang and Taylor. Taylor needed time to get back on her feet, and all I could do was be there. But I doubted that any of the things I did for Yang would work for Taylor. Even so, I refused to think that there was nothing we could do.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Yang. I’m the team leader. I should have helped Blake just as much as you. We didn’t, but we can’t stop trying just because we don’t know how. Blake eventually came around, we talked, and now we know what to do. Now, we have to learn to be better so that the next time something happens, we will know how to help. So, I’m going to keep trying, so I can become the person Taylor needs. That Blake needs. That anyone needs when they’re hurting. You’ve always been that person for me, so I know you can be that person for others. We just have to figure out how. Together.”

Yang stared at me for a long time, and her frown turned upside-down, tears at the corner of her eyes. She grappled me in one of her hugs, the ones that bordered between bone-crushing and too tight. 

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered in my ear. 

I wheezed out what was probably going to be my last breath, before she let me go. 

“Alright, let’s head back and try to think of what we can actually do.”

There’s the Yang I knew. “Right on! Because I have no idea!”

“Well, it’s technically a start.”

I grinned. We would be able to come up with a plan eventually. As long as we were together.

* * *

_Taylor_

I could see it now, the through-line that strung up each of my regrets. 

Skitter, Weaver, Khepri. Dividing them made it easier to focus on the differences, compartmentalize what I had thought was wrong, but now I saw the connection. Every choice, each different direction, all with the same flaw. One single problem that killed Brian, Aster, and so many others.

Each of my personas was just another approach to trying to make all the bad things I had done mean something, all so that I could avoid the guilt of it all. As if continuing to hurt people would be justified if I accomplished enough good in the end. 

But there was nothing that came from Brian’s death. There wasn’t anything to take from it, any way to make it mean something other than what it was—the time I sent someone I cared about to their death. 

I couldn’t justify his murder, no matter how I tried—and I always tried. So self-assured that I couldn’t just stop and consider that I was wrong. So sure that everyone should have just agreed with me and things would have been better.

What do you do when you realize you’re a monster? A child so afraid of what she’s done that she never stopped to learn from her mistakes?

Ever since I had become a cape, I had cut and carved others into steps for myself, thinking I was building a path for everyone else as well. Now that I looked back, all I noticed was the blood. 

Ruby and Blake had brought me to my bed, and I clung to it for the rest of the day and into the night. 

Sleep came and went, but I didn’t feel rested. Dreams left me mentally exhausted as I relived moments that I couldn’t recall once awake. 

I opened my eyes but didn’t move. I couldn’t find a reason to.

When the problem was so ingrained, was it even possible to fix? Any attempt seemed hopeless from the start. Not to mention how tired I was: of finding some new way I fucked up, of having to re-evaluate everything. Why couldn’t I have done things right, for once?

I had thought I was doing better, or at least, making steps toward it. 

The worst thing was how obvious my problem seemed now that I saw it.

Sometimes the bad things you’ve done didn’t have any meaning—they were just mistakes. You couldn’t change them into something else, and you couldn’t make them mean anything after the fact. I had kept going down a road I didn’t want to travel, because otherwise, all the bad things I did would have been for nothing, and I couldn’t handle that.

I was too damn scared of taking responsibility for what I’d done, always needing to make something of all the bad decisions, just to feel less shitty about myself. If I wasn’t doing good, then I didn’t have value, not to myself.

Everything had been to prove I had worth, that I wasn’t the girl so isolated and unimportant that even when I was screaming for help in a locker, no one came. That I could be someone Mom would have been proud of. 

I murmured a goodbye as Team RWBY went to their classes. They had an argument about whether someone should stay with me but decided that I should have some time to myself. I hadn’t found the words to say that I would like to be alone, so I was… thankful felt too fulfilling while everything rang hollow, but an echo of relief washed over me as they left. 

I didn’t want them to see what was under my mask, to possibly be another step to push off of. 

Maybe it would be better if I left… even for a bit… just to be safe…

I sent the text and waited. The reply came shortly after. I had my out.

I shoved my clothes into a bag, along with my books. The tea set was stored in the box it came in. The bed would be annoying to move but necessary.

This was for the best, because no matter how much I hated it, I hated what I could end up doing more. 

**Chapter 23 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, and TheBiggerFish.
> 
> So, Semblance! We’ll go more into it, that’s just Taylor’s perspective on it, lots of different themes regarding it, yadda yadda. I was told it was serviceable, and sorry if it’s not what you hoped for. I’m actually rather excited about it, there’s a lot of cool stuff I have planned. I wanted it to be something simple with very little ‘rules’ and such, but used in extremely complex ways by Taylor. It’s not a huge power boost to make Taylor super strong—she’ll probably be weaker than most of the cast in a straight fight for years. This isn’t a Bankai or equivalent either, it doesn’t need ten steps, three modes, five conditions, and an aria activation. 
> 
> If RWBY tries to label the character’s Semblance with one word—Ren’s being Tranquility and Pyrrha’s being Polarity, for example—then I’d probably call Taylor’s Reprise. 
> 
> The events of RWBY: Grimm Eclipse, which are canon, technically happen soon. I’m still undecided on whether I’ll delve into it. It won’t be until after Chapter 26ish if anything anyway, so we have time. 


	24. Husk

* * *

_Taylor_

“Thanks again, for this,” I said, fainter than I had wanted, but I couldn’t muster the energy to say it louder.

“Hey, it’s no skin off my back,” Coco said with a shrug. I didn’t want to intrude, but I couldn’t come up with a better option, not until I could think without the need to puke or panic.

We carried my bed down an elevator, across a walkway, and into the second-year dorm building. With Aura, the weight was negligible. Coco’s ‘good’ purse weighed more—with folding frame technology, Coco had contorted a purse to unfold into a mini-gun. 

Just as we turned the corner to Team CFVY’s room, a voice echoed _inside_ my head. “ _Oh whoa, I did not see this coming._ ” 

I dropped my side of the bed and jolted around, looking for the speaker. “Who said that?!” I asked sharply. I felt the presence in my mind, like a hum in the background.

Coco sighed tiredly.

“ _OoooooOoooo, I’m aaaa Ghooooosssst_ ,” the voice said in drawn-out moans.

“Fox, I know you’re doing it again. Open the door,” Coco called out.

The door opened to reveal a dark-skinned, copper-haired boy leaning against the frame. Peeking out from his vest were numerous red scars that ran up his arms. A vulpine grin was templed by pearly white eyes—he was blind. 

“ _Just introducing myself. Name’s Fox, Fox Alistair. I’ll let you guess my Semblance_.” His mouth never moved.

“Telepathy?” I said, easing my stance. The sudden rush and loss of adrenaline left me drained, or maybe I was just… tired.

“Got it in one,” he said out loud and moved to the side, holding the door open for us.

The idea of telepathy left a dark, sour taste in my mouth and a chill down my back. No parahumans had the ability, but it was strongly associated with the Simurgh. I doubted Fox could or would use his Semblance to drive others insane or make them do something terrible down the line, but divorcing the two in my head would take some time. Though, the Simurgh could make silence kill, an undetectable touch as she manipulated your mind. At least, I could feel Fox even if he was quiet when he used his telepathy.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me staying in the room for a bit.”

Coco and I set my bed in the corner, a little section of the room easily set apart from the rest. Second-year dorms were bigger than the first-year ones, despite the building being slightly older—though, with how well-kept everything at Beacon was, the difference was barely noticeable. 

Team CFVY’s room was set up similarly to JNPR’s, but with the boys on one side and the girls on the other. RWBY’s bunk beds really opened up a lot of space, but even without them there was enough room for each team member to add their own decorations.

The stack of magazines, ammo, Dust, and the bed closest to a large dresser was obviously Coco’s. Two sets of extra shades sat ready on her desk. She must have broken a lot of pairs in combat. 

Velvet’s bed had a collage of photos pinned to the wall above it and a large plushie of some kind of sheep-cat next to the pillow. 

Fox’s space was neatly organized, everything in pouches or containers, all labeled in Braille. 

The last member, whose name I couldn’t remember, had a bed that was bigger than any of the other beds, queen-sized instead of a single. A picture of two adults and a younger girl—his family, most likely—sat on a small desk along with several papers, a brush, and an inkwell. The picture was placed such that you wouldn’t be able to see it from the bed. An odd thing to notice; it probably meant nothing, but it stuck out.

“Not a problem, welcome aboard,” Fox said, out loud this time, waving a hand dismissively. “Good to have some new blood to shake things up a bit every once in a while.” He sat on his bed, put a wireless headphone into his ear, and pressed something on his Scroll. A screen reading program, I guessed.

I bent down and started unpacking what little I had—clothes, books, and my tea set. Few enough items to be considered spartan, but maybe I had been subconsciously preparing to leave at any time. I hadn’t seen a point in collecting a lot of stuff.

Well, that wasn’t a concern anymore. I was on Remnant to stay, stranded with all my mistakes to haunt me. Lucky me.

“Fox is cool, good to his friends, an annoying son of a bitch to his enemies,” Coco said flippantly, to which Fox grinned. “He’s a bit of a prankster, so be careful…” She paused as if realizing something. “Fox, you messaged Vel and Yatsuhashi about Taylor staying in our room, right?”

“Yatsuhashi said he didn’t have any problems.”

“And Velvet?”

As if on cue, the door opened, and Velvet walked in, facing the back of my head with Coco sitting on my bed beside me. 

“Uh…” Velvet said, still in the door.

“Yo, we have a guest for a little bit,” Coco stated.

I turned enough to watch from the corner of my eye as Velvet glanced at Fox then spun on Coco, the fur on her ears bristling, and she tried to glare, but her face made it look more like a pout. “Coco, you said you weren’t going to bring any girls back to the dorm.” 

Fox snickered.

Coco grinned. “I don’t think the context matches.”

I stood so she could see who I was, and Velvet’s jaw dropped, eyes darting between Coco and me. “Y-you and Coco…?” Red bloomed on her cheeks.

“There weren’t any single rooms for someone not on a team, so I have to share,” I said.

“Oh.” She collected herself, parsing my words. “Well, it’s nice to have you then, but where were you staying before?” she asked, then her face pinched. “Not that there’s anything bad about you staying with us or anything!”

I waved her concerns away. “I was staying with one of the first-year teams, but I… needed some space, so I asked Coco for some help.” Coco clicked her tongue twice in confirmation.

A shadow towered behind Velvet, ducking to not hit his head on the doorframe as he entered. Narrow, deep-set eyes were framed by black shaven hair and tanned skin. Most would have remarked on his height and build, a very athletic seven-foot giant of a man, muscles stretching against the Beacon uniform. What I noticed was how he glanced around while walking, planning his route to not break anything.

“Yatsuhashi Daichi. It’s nice to finally meet you, Taylor.” He nodded in greeting. “Thank you for helping Velvet when we weren’t around to.” 

Distantly, my mind remarked that he was handsome, though nearly everyone on Remnant seemed to be unnaturally good-looking, but I couldn’t make the effort for it to be more than a surface thought. 

I gave the barest nod. “Thank you for letting me stay with you. I’ll make sure to be out of the way and discreet.” Every word was a procedure, something ticked off a list. Any deep thought made me sink, so I didn’t put much thought into anything. It was easier, at least, for now.

“It’s no trouble. If there’s anything you need, feel free to ask.” 

“Thank you,” I said. 

A small beep had Coco glancing over her sunglasses at her Scroll. “Class in ten. You good here?” she asked, and I nodded. 

Team CFVY headed out, leaving silence in their wake. 

I lay on my bed, trying to distract myself from thinking. I was tired but not sleepy, bored but without the drive to do something. 

Hours passed in that fitful state of both feeling guilty over not doing something and dreading doing anything. 

As soon as classes ended for the day, an avalanche of texts beeped on my Scroll from Ruby, asking where I was and saying that someone had stolen my bed. 

My reply was short: I needed time and space to think things over, so I moved to another room for a bit. 

In reality, I wasn’t sure of the reason. Maybe I was scared I would hurt them, or disappoint them and myself, or maybe it was just an excuse to hide from everything. 

Minutes passed before Ruby texted, “We’re here for whatever you need us for. Team RWBY+T forever!” 

I was sure there was a conversation with the rest of the team, but I didn’t maneuver any bugs to listen.

Coco had her team on a packed schedule, so I didn’t expect them back till after dinner. I sent out a short message to cancel my liaison tutoring sessions under the guise of welcoming the students from other schools. I didn’t think I could do them at the moment, but it also meant I had lots of time.

It felt weird to be in this room, which was not at all like the comfortable space rooming with Team RWBY had eventually become.

I didn’t want to be there when Team CFVY returned—it’d feel weird if I was, like I was the fifth wheel and an intruder. So, despite my lethargy, I went on a walk to hopefully clear my head.

Without a destination, I wandered through corridors I didn’t usually frequent with no other purpose than to extend the journey.

Through a classroom door window, I watched a group of students practice Dust Art. It was similar to firework displays, but Dust allowed for much more precision and scale. One of the students tapped a tube of Dust, pushing at it with their Aura to activate it, and a small explosion of pink, red, and green formed into a blooming flower of sparks and fire. Its appearance was met with a circle of applause.

Despite being a ‘university’, Beacon was closer to a high school in terms of cliques and people. There were clubs, like the Dust Art Club, but they weren’t organizations in their own right like I would have expected from a university. Nothing like fraternities or anything.

I continued my wandering, slightly annoyed at myself for not addressing the issues that made me want the walk to clear my head and think in the first place, but I still kept those doors closed in my mind. I was too tired to rip off the Band-Aid.

Eventually, I found myself in Beacon’s student planning office, more because it was there than curiosity. 

Regardless, a lady at a desk asked if I was there to see a counselor for my courses. As I was about to shake my head, one of the doors opened, and an older woman with blue hair too bright to not be dyed ushered me in. 

_At least it’s a distraction._

After half an hour of nodding my head, and giving non-committal grunts and one-word answers, I was out the door with a hand full of pamphlets regarding course planning and specialization requirements.

Higher education was something I had always thought I’d get—with Mom, it had been an assumption rather than a goal or expectation—but that was before I’d gotten powers. Everything else fell to the wayside after that. Now that I had the chance to get a degree, at what amounted to one of the best universities in the world, I wasn’t sure. 

In our third year, students chose specializations that related to what kind of Huntsmen we wanted to be. What specialization you took and how well you did regulated what missions you received. 

The most common route for students was General Huntsmen, a jack-of-all-trades approach rather than a specialization. They took missions as they came, mostly dealing with Grimm. Many of them went on to be mercenaries.

Envoy Huntsmen were one of the main specializations available, focusing on bodyguard duties and protection while traveling. They formed a surprisingly integral part of the economy for settlements outside of the kingdoms, since any town or village in an area where the skies weren’t patrolled couldn’t receive supplies via Bullhead. Envoy Huntsmen protected and delivered goods and supplies to these places.

Foundation Huntsmen learned how to clear and protect an area for the construction of settlements outside kingdom walls. They were the group with the highest fatality rate and the lowest enrollment. 

There were other, more customized specializations that Beacon would suggest courses to best prepare a student for. Whatever a student chose, after enough logged years and a shining history as a Huntsmen, they could take an advanced course that doubled as a teaching degree, a route to being a professor at somewhere like Beacon to train the next generation of Huntsmen.

That kind of thinking was so far off, though, that I barely remembered the words after I read them, let alone considered acting on them.

I did notice that Beacon also offered regular courses to get a normal degree. Not all graduates became professional Huntsmen. I even had extra credits from helping the other teams… 

_I have options now, don’t I?_

The idea seemed so… bizarre. Something I had never even considered, but it was available. I could be a teacher—a regular one, like Mom.

Maybe... this all was a sign that it was time to stop. There were other ways I could help, without having to be so hesitant and suspicious of everything I was trying to do. 

I was so _tired_ of doubting myself, of being self-destructive, of taking steps to change how I do things, only to find out I was still fucking up. 

And I had been fucking up, in a way that now seemed so fucking obvious and simple. That was why the guilt was so raw.

Realizing I hadn’t really been taking responsibility for every bad thing I had done throughout my life, like some child too short-sighted to see the mess they were making, instead of growing and learning, _hurt._ Anything I had accomplished felt undermined in some fashion.

Brian died because of that. Because of me.

I didn’t use my bugs as an outlet to act out a tantrum for stress relief or anything. Distancing myself from my feelings by offloading them that way seemed like a symptom of my problem. 

The sun dipped under the edge of the horizon, leaving swirls of purple, red, and orange behind. I walked out of Beacon toward the airship docks, justifying the trip as a way to get a better view of the sunset.

Once I got there, I barely glanced at the sight before turning back. Aura kept my feet and muscles from aching, so I could wander for hours without trouble.

The window for getting dinner at the cafeteria came and went. I wasn’t hungry. 

When I got back to CFVY’s room, I waved to them before retiring to my bed. 

Sleep came slowly, was spotty, and ended quickly. I stared at the ceiling until the sun, and everyone else, slowly rose. 

None of them asked what I was doing for the day, or questioned why I wasn’t going to class, which I was grateful for. 

Yatsuhashi left some incense burning, a gentle, fragrant wood smell, that seeped into the senses. It was comforting in the same way breathing in steam to help clear your sinuses was. 

When the scent started to fade, I went on another aimless walk.

The sun was still high in the sky and ambling about the school hadn’t removed the haze from my mind or helped me divine any answers. 

I still felt listless yet anxious to move, frustrated that I wasn’t doing anything while guilt and doubt stopped me from committing to something. It felt like a pressure building in my bones but trapped in a cage I couldn’t open.

My Scroll beeped; Ruby was wondering if I was coming to combat class.

Fighting was familiar. Maybe actually being in class would be enough to compel me to move. So, I decided to go. Ruby’s text went unanswered.

I purposely entered the room seconds before Professor Goodwitch started the class. RWBY and JNPR spotted me, and I caught their mixed stares. Some showed relief, cheer, or worry. Pyrrha looked almost expectant through her obvious fretting. Blake’s eyes narrowed into a glare before they shot to her feet, a scowl obvious on her face. _Fair._

I turned to not sit with them, purposely avoiding seeing how they reacted to that.

They would have questions, rightfully so, about what happened and how I was doing, and I didn’t want to give them the answers. If I did, I would have to explain all the graves I’d made, and the many skeletons in my closet. 

Professor Goodwitch snapped her crop against a wall for attention, and everyone was instantly silent. 

I was paired with Dove from Team CRDL for a full class of sparring, which was surprising since I was usually partnered with someone lower in terms of combat skills. It was a sign that I was improving, but I couldn’t care enough to celebrate.

We faced off in our designated section of the arena, other pairs doing the same, and clashed. 

If anything, the battle calmed me. Combat was a distraction that pushed everything else away and made me focus on the moment. Any thoughts of the future were consumed by what move to make next, where to maneuver my opponent, and watching the battlefield. 

It was the most invigorating thing I had felt all day. 

Therapy through conflict, how ugly. 

My Semblance was something I didn’t even consider trying to explore. Any use or practicality in the new ability was overshadowed by how it appeared, and the implications behind it made the ‘progress’ hollow and tainted. I couldn’t bring myself to care about it beyond the self-loathing it brought. 

I missed a slash I shouldn’t have, and my Aura went into the red. With our match over earlier than everyone else in the class, we changed back into our uniforms. Then, I snuck out of class. Any thrill or drive from the fight was already gone.

I started to wander again, this time with the leaflets from the counseling office in hand. Going through the options and what was available was… pleasant, in a way. It revitalized me in a different way than fighting had. A refreshing breeze instead of a hard-worked sweat. I even mapped out course schedules for teaching, computer science, and a few other avenues just to keep my mind moving.

Thoughts of a different sort of future than anything I had considered in the last few years made me feel something other than doubt.

Doubt was nothing like the weight of dread that an upcoming apocalypse brought. Dread could be carried, or used to push yourself to meet it. Doubt didn’t pull, push, shove, or even bend. It consumed, eating away at everything else until it was all that was left. It undermined everything else that you could use to fight it, because how could you trust something to wipe away the doubt when doubt made you not trust anything? It was a spiral, down and down until you stagnated and failed. Dizzying in the nothingness it brought. 

Anytime I tried to think, there was doubt of what I would do and how I would do it. 

Would I ignore more consequences in pursuit of my goal? Would I send another person I cared for to death because I didn’t consider the costs of pursuing what I wanted?

Would, would, would— _could_ , because they were all possibilities for me.

They were all things I had done before. Like with Aster. And Brian. And hundreds of other capes. 

And—and—

_Oh god, I…_

My chest started to hurt.

I looked down and watched my chest frantically rise and fall. Hyperventilating.

I focused on my bugs, filling my mind with their senses. The feeling of the rock under thousands of tiny feet. The sounds of skittering lightly echoing through the vents. Kaleidoscopic views of hazy blurs that all overlapped into headache-inducing nonsense.

It wasn’t helping.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get enough air.

The pamphlets dropped from my hand.

I needed to slow my breathing.

The walls seemed closer, cutting off any escape.

I staggered around a corner, so no one could see me.

The slow rising pressure of suffocation built into a high-pitched pain.

_Stop._

I tried to calm myself, to force my breathing to slow.

_Breathe._

Nothing worked. It hurt. I was helpless, attacked and betrayed by my own body.

I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t slow my breathing. I wasn’t in control.

_Stop!_

Tears pricked my eyes and the pressure only built.

Every sense felt frenzied yet the world was so far away. 

Trapped yet exposed. Frantic yet frozen.

Black edged at my vision. 

My skin felt chilled while my head and lungs burned.

Sound dulled into white noise.

My throat was tight, yet my tongue was swollen and heavy.

Hell was an eternity to myself, slumped against a wall behind a building.

Time stretched. I didn’t know when I started sobbing. 

I hugged myself until the shaking stopped. Then, I stayed still for a long time after.

More exhausted than I had ever felt, I rushed to the nearest bathroom to clean myself up and hide my pale face and red eyes the best I could. 

I messaged Coco, asking when was the latest I could return without disturbing anyone. 

The spot behind the building, my tears still drying in the soil, was my shelter for the next two hours as I waited. I was burnt out of everything, even doubt, which actually made everything feel lighter despite how raw I felt. 

I slipped into CFVY’s room just as everyone was winding down. I made small talk, and even remembered to send Coco my updated designs for the spider silk outfits.

The prototypes for the basic clothing—underwear, shirts, and pants, to hide underneath other clothing—were almost ready. Well, when I started working on them again, they would be. 

I sank into my mattress and drifted off, too depleted for anything else.

* * *

Three days had passed, and time was helping me think the little things through, one step at a time. I had even gone to my classes yesterday.

My friends—being able to think that in my head made things a little brighter, seeing that lighthouse while I drifted in fog—made a point to not crowd or push me. I talked but didn’t make conversation. They were empty words at best, never delving into anything that mattered.

They visibly stopped themselves at some points, sometimes only after a pointed stare from Ren or Blake, but it was fine.

I was with them, but I wasn’t a part of the group again, I didn’t let myself be. There was a distance, and everyone felt it. It didn’t help that classes were the only time I saw them. 

As soon as the bell rang, I left. I retreated from everyone and picked up a package of dyes from the student mailboxes. 

The spider silk clothes were an easy project to work on, something to do, and a task that Coco had insisted on after she got another look at the designs when I’d asked if she would like some. Her insistence and drive for my little side-project pushed me to actually work on it, even if it was just through my bugs in the background.

CFVY’s dorm room was empty when I got there, a common occurrence. Coco ran her team ragged, though they were eager for the challenge.

Something caught my eye, outside the window.

There was a fleet of ships sailing over Beacon: the Atlesian military, peacocking its might.

I couldn’t imagine what goals General James Ironwood believed showing his raised fist to the world would accomplish, especially just before a tournament that was supposed to promote peace amongst the kingdoms.

Intimidation could curb some threats, but the current situation didn’t seem like one of them. Symbols of security were best when the threat had already impacted the population’s life personally. Reminding the public that there was danger, highlighting the problems outside of the bubble they lived in, would only lead to anxiety, and that meant more Grimm. 

To be fair, the display wasn’t unimpressive. Squads of fighters flanked a massive flagship that could probably store hundreds of their android soldiers for deployment. 

I sat back, gathering my bugs, and spread them out to listen. 

The flagship docked, its massive size dwarfing the landing pad. 

The students gossiped and murmured as they watched an envoy of android troops escort General Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and leader of the Atlesian military, onto Beacon's grounds. 

A small crowd followed behind him, people who I guessed were members of the Atlas teams participating in the Vytal Festival. 

The General paused by the largest fountain, just within the main grounds of Beacon. 

He gave a short, bland speech about their expected decorum while at Beacon, but eventually, let them loose to explore on their own.

One student was extra enthusiastic and even walked with Ironwood for a bit after the general had started toward Ozpin’s tower. Apparently, the military itself was personally handling her maintenance—probably for her weapon. 

I was surprised he was so personable with his students, considering Atlas’s military disposition. 

The peppy student walked off, with a personal escort of two guards. She must have been some kind of student VIP. 

Ironwood wove his way through the school with familiarity, straight to Ozpin’s office.

After greetings, Professor Goodwitch left, clearly irritated by her clipped tone—there was obviously history between her and Ironwood—leaving the general and Ozpin alone.

I moved more bugs to better catch every word instead of having to logic out missed syllables and phrases. The spinning gears hid my swarm’s approach, hundreds of insect ears eavesdropping on two of the most important figures on Remnant.

Ozpin was about as enthused about Ironwood’s little show of strength as I was. New information from a ‘crow’, or it might have been a person based on Remnant’s naming conventions… Regardless, Ironwood had brought his military in preparation for a possible threat—a war that we students might be involved in.

They continued, delving into topics of trade and politics before they settled on Grimm movements, and that’s when the world stopped.

“Why would _she_ be sending Grimm there?” “What are _her_ plans?” “What is the status of the Fall Maiden?” “Any idea of the identity of _her_ agents, and what their plans are?”

I tried to think of another context. Maybe I was possibly misinterpreting things.

No matter how I tried to rearrange the words and guess other meanings, the answer was still the same.

 _Her. She._ Someone who they were fighting against, someone who apparently _led_ the Grimm. Finally, after nearly an hour of discussion, they dropped a name.

Salem. The one who led the Grimm. An enemy that a select few secretly fought against, for the survival of every person on Remnant.

The laughter bubbled in my gut before boiling over in hysteric heaves that shook my body. 

There was a threat to the world, an enemy to fight, a world-threatening disaster.

There always had been.

I broke a little more, and laughed and laughed.

**Chapter 24 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, and TheBiggerFish.
> 
> So, this takes us to around Volume 2 Chapter 2… 160k words in… Oh my god.
> 
> Taylor finds out about Salem. Surely this will only help her mental state!
> 
> In Ozpin and Ironwood’s talk in Vol 2 Chapter 2, it’s kinda implied that Ironwood leaves after around 1 minutes and 45 seconds of talking with Ozpin, which is dumb. No. Two members of the Remnant Illuminati, who are basically leaders of their respective countries, and friends, do not talk vaguely about threats for less than two minutes (which includes greetings and Glynda leaving) before fucking off till season 3, where Qrow starts dropping some more exposition about the Maidens for no reason to people who already know all of it. 
> 
> I've finally posted everything to AO3. My upload schedule is... sparse. I'm trying to write more, but I'll be out of town for work for a bit.


	25. Deus Ex Machina

* * *

_Taylor_

A long time ago, Mom was at a conference for the university, and Dad couldn’t get a babysitter, so I was stuck with him while he shadowed some dockworkers on a job. 

I was pretty sure that Dad had gone above and beyond what he was supposed to with checking if there were any work conditions that weren’t being adhered to on a contract. It was during a period when jobs for the dockworkers were few and far between, so maybe Dad just didn’t have much else to do, or maybe he'd wanted to make sure the workers weren’t being taken advantage of while Brockton Bay’s job market plummeted. 

That was how I'd found myself on a boat for a whole day, watching while workers scooped out litter floating in the bay.

That day had been one of the most boring I had ever experienced. The boat swayed just enough that I kept losing the line of the book I was trying to read. I wasn't allowed to help with the work, and the workers held their tongues to avoid any 'dock-talk' around the union rep's daughter, mostly because Dad's temper flared when the conversation dipped into anything too indecent for my 'delicate' ears.

Thus, I had watched the waters as the boat gently rocked. Up and down. Up and down. An endless view of murky blue waves.

Nothing to do, say, or even think. Not even a place to try and sleep.

Eventually, I had faded from the world, adrift in my head. A pseudo-sleep without dreams, concerns, or care.

Now, I found myself there again, staring out at nothing, like I had never left the boat. I found reprieve in the void.

But, even in the depths of that memory, immersed in its emptiness, the insidious whisper of guilt still pricked at the calm’s edges.

Suddenly, the boat rocked wilder, tremors quaking the blank slate of my mind.

I blinked and the world was back.

"Yo, anyone home?" the person shaking my shoulder asked.

"Sorry, um..." I turned slowly. It was the blond boy who I met with Coco, one of the students from another academy participating in the Vytal Festival.

"C'mon, how could you forget this face?" He smiled and pointed a thumb at his grin.

"Something to do with the color... yellow?" I guessed.

He sagged but pepped right back up. "Sun Wukong, leader of Team SSSN (Sun), all-around awesome dude." 

"Right... Can I help you?"

"Well, I saw you staring off in the distance, so I thought you were gonna watch the sunset—which has got nothing on the ones in Vacuo, by the way—but when I passed by again an hour later, you were facing the same way, and the sun's setting over there." He pointed to my right, where the sun had just dipped below the edge of the horizon, leaving trails of orange, red, and purple in its wake.

The cliffs outside of Beacon, along the rockface’s edge from where the airships usually docked, made for a nice place to sit and admire the world. It was high up, open, and almost always free of people. 

I had been staring at a blank patch of cloudless sky, not yet dark enough for stars to peek through.

"Ah, I was just... thinking," I lied.

"Cool, cool, not really my style, but I dig it."

A twilight aurora flowed after the sun. Emerald green grass painted the plains around me, and perfect blue waters crashed against stone and dirt along the cliff below.

So vibrant. I felt out of place.

“So… you just gonna sit here all day then?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You wanna talk about it?” 

“Not really.”

“That’s cool too,” he said with a shrug and took a seat on a rock next to mine. I didn’t care enough to ask him why.

Maybe this view was better than just watching the sunset. To my right, the day’s dying light glistened off the waters and faded boldly in the sky. To my left, night devoured every shade with all-encompassing darkness. I faced the middle, an eerie twilight that mixed the two into a colorful scar cutting across the world—

Crinkle. Crinkle.

Sun paused at my glance, a chocolate bar half stuffed in his mouth while he fought with the wrapper denying him the rest. Unabashed, he inhaled the treat, leaving a small smudge on the corner of his mouth. 

“Want one?” he asked between chewing, and he pulled out two more, offering me one.

“I’m fine, thanks.” He shrugged and began fighting the second wrapper, redoubling the sound of crinkling plastic.

I took a deep breath, letting myself drift away. I didn’t want to think of anything at the moment.

The wind caressed my face, a single gentle touch before fading away. Beacon was just far enough away to seem silent, while the Atlas ships had landed in the plains around Beacon for the night. The only sounds were crashing waves, rustling grass, and—

Ding, ding. 

“Round one.” A bass beat chorused with a sharp percussion played. “Fight.” 

Sun’s Scroll lit up, and a figure in black with blue highlights faced off against a doppelganger in red against a background of turquoise and violet. Sun’s tongue was clamped between his teeth at the corner of his mouth in concentration. 

I stared blankly at him before he noticed, then he paused his game.

“It’s two-player, if you wanna go for a couple of rounds,” he offered.

“No thanks.” Irritation bubbled for a moment, which was surprising considering that I wasn’t doing anything, so Sun wasn’t interrupting. 

“You sure?”

“Shouldn’t you be with your team?” I asked with a twinge of exasperation.

“Nah.” He waved the question away with one hand. “They know I do my own thing. Besides, they don’t need me right now.”

_Not a very inspiring type of leadership, but maybe it works for his team._

“Huh,” was all I said.

The sounds of pixelated impacts and blows punched back whatever trance I was trying to achieve. 

I almost smiled when the familiar beeping of a Scroll’s low battery warning chimed.

“Man,” Sun muttered, his tail winding around to grab his Scroll and shove it into a pocket. “Hey, you want to go check out the Atlas ships?” 

I sighed heavily. I wasn’t sure why, but ignoring or rejecting the offer felt like it would be more exhausting than just going along with this little escapade. It wasn’t like saying no would get him to leave me alone. My peace was already ruined. All I could do was make sure my thoughts didn’t focus on what I had discovered, and what it meant.

“Fine.”

“Awesome.” He jumped up, shoved his hands into his pockets, and casually began to stroll toward the Atlas ships.

I followed behind. 

As much as I hated to admit it, Sun was growing on me like a fungus and wearing me down the same way a puppy tugging at your pant leg to play did. That didn’t mean I liked him, but I couldn’t really bring myself to _dislike_ him.

The ships had spotlights to illuminate their landing pads and blinking lights on their roofs to mark their position for other aircraft. Some of the smaller ships hovered above the rest, at the ready. They had taken up an area halfway between Beacon’s airship docks and the school itself, a patch of wasteland where the grass around the cliffs had long since died. My swarm’s underground hive was a stone’s throw away.

Two Atlesian soldiers noticed our approach and immediately moved to intercept, their gazes and sneers focused on Sun. 

“State your business,” one stated, giving me a once over before dismissing me. Sun’s tail swished playfully, and the guard’s frown deepened.

“We just wanted to see the ships up close. Never seen a big fancy military ship before—”

“If you don’t have any official business, scram. We don’t need troublemakers around official Atlas property.”

“Oh, c’mon.”

Something tugged at my senses, and I frowned.

Bugs were on the ship, hiding in vents and under various equipment. I hadn’t even noticed. 

_Am I running on auto-pilot? Or was that you, passenger? What are you up to?_

“Beat it.”

“We don’t even want to go aboard. I just wanna check—”

“Another step and we’ll charge you for trespassing.”

There was an armory filled with rifles, parts for their automaton soldiers, and other weapons. A hangar held at least eight… mechs? They were huge, at least twenty feet tall. Machine guns, rockets, and more were mounted on the bipedal mech. A cockpit fitted for a single pilot was surrounded by switches, a set of joysticks, and various electronic displays. Atlas had brought a new battlesuit to show off.

Deeper into the ship, beyond several closed security doors, my bugs caught a single, familiar voice. They moved en masse to better parse the words, only to find someone... recording a diary?

The room was some kind of science lab. A large pod filled one wall while various machines and screens covered the rest. Automaton soldiers guarded the doors to the secure room, but no other person besides the girl speaking was nearby.

A fly landed on her back and held on as the girl bobbed and jumped with her story of her day. All the new people, sights, experiences. How she was excited to participate in the Vytal Festival.

It was the peppy girl who had a personal Atlesian escort. She was staying on the flagship while the other Atlas students were in the visitors’ dorms. Interesting.

She ended her ‘diary’ by telling her dad that she loved and missed him, wishing him well. 

Her tone was so simple, filling the statement with care yet saying it casually, like it was normal. I envied how easy she made it seem, but wishing my relationship with my dad was similar was just another unfixable regret.

I had no idea who the girl was, but she was obviously important somehow. Atlas’s dark horse for the Vytal Festival? Or maybe just a family member of someone high up in Atlas. 

An automated voice played out within the lab: “Please proceed to maintenance positioning.”

“Oh, is it that time again?” the girl said out loud to herself. Odd. 

“Please proceed to maintenance positioning.”

“Do I have to?” she asked, nervous but not afraid.

“Please proceed to maintenance positioning.”

“Okay.”

The peppy girl dutifully walked to the center of the room, and some kind of mechanism descended from the roof. Bugs found wires and mechanical arms of some kind but nothing that identified the device.

Then, the girl’s back _unfolded_ , revealing metal, thick cords running from her limbs, and what felt like circuits that went deep into her torso. Too deep to be prosthetics.

She was a robot. 

Some kind of advanced automaton that Atlas was having participate in the tournament?

The range of emotion she displayed, and to no one’s benefit other than her own...

“Aura test, engaging,” the robotic voice stated.

Aura? 

“That tickles!” the girl exclaimed. 

“Aura levels, stable. Beginning routine tests.”

Not only a robot, but one that produced an effect similar to Aura… Or it _was_ Aura.

By Remnant’s understanding, that meant she had a _soul._

The girl fought against her giggles as the machine’s arm poked and shifted in her torso. 

A ticklish robot that had Aura. One that was apprehensive toward her maintenance because she was ticklish. One that loved her dad, was happy about school, excited about the Vytal Festival.

Not a robot, a full AI. 

I accepted the idea faster than I thought I would.

Dragon had been one of the few people that I considered to be a truly good person. More human and caring than most others, including me. A true hero.

If Aura truly was a soul, then I knew Dragon would have been able to have one, and hers would have been a brilliant color. 

If Dragon could, then why not this girl? An AI in a robotic body with a soul that shone like anyone else’s. 

I hadn’t heard of any being like her being produced, and the amount of security between the workshop she was in and the rest of the ship indicated that not many others had either.

Was she the only one of her kind? 

More importantly, what was I going to do with this? She wasn’t a threat to be investigated or countered, she was just a girl sending a message to her dad—her creator? No, her dad.

Did anyone else know? 

“Yo, uh, Taylor?” Sun said, his tail poking the back of my head from beside me.

“What?” Oh, there were six guards now, all looking annoyed. “Oh. Sorry, officers, we’ll be on our way.”

“What is so bad about us seeing the ship?!” Sun asked angrily.

“Miss, take your… _friend_ ”—the guard’s lip curled on the word—“back to the school. Curfew is in a little while.” 

“Let’s go, Sun.” With that, we left the area. 

“I knew everyone from Atlas had a rod up their butt, but man, they could try to not be jerks about everything.”

“...I think it was more to do with who you were rather than what we were doing. Sorry.” They had barely looked at me.

“Not your fault. I’m used to it. Still, I was hoping they would at least look away long enough for me to sneak by, not call more soldiers in.” 

“You were going to sneak around Atlas military personnel?”

“Well, yeah.” It wasn’t arrogance, but more just a part of the game for him. “Anyway, since that was a no-go, do you wanna spar? I want to see the drill sergeant in action.” Smiling seemed to be his default expression, tinged with cockiness and eager energy. 

“Maybe another…” I trailed off. What else did I have to do? If I left, it would just be me and my thoughts; thoughts of the robot girl, Ozpin and Ironwood’s secret war, and Salem. I didn’t want to get into any of those topics. I needed a distraction. 

My heart and mind were battered and exhausted, but I could still move, still fight. Combat would be a welcome excuse not to think.

“Actually, sure. I wouldn’t mind sparring.”

“Sweet. Mind if I bring Neptune along? He won’t admit it, but he wants to meet new people while he’s here.”

“Sure… who’s Neptune?”

“The flirty guy I was with before?”

“Flirty?” I didn’t remember seeing anyone being flirty with someone.

“Yeah, but don’t think too much on it. He does it with everyone; thinks it helps with his cool demeanor.” 

“Okay.” I doubted I had anything to worry about on that front, it wasn’t like he’d flirt with me.

“Oh, want me to grab those girls you were with before?” he asked. “I could grab my team too, make a thing of it.” 

“Not really—I mean, maybe another time.”

“Right on.” If he was holding any judgments, he hid them well. 

* * *

I tossed six small metal discs—devices that Weiss had once mentioned offhandedly as a waste of Dust, but which I found very useful—and three burst apart in a wave of ice that covered small sections of the arena. I started counting.

They weren’t as explosive or powerful as grenades, but they were small and good for creating obstacles and quick surges of fire or electricity depending on what Dust was used.

_One._

Neptune’s confident smile vanished as he looked, unnaturally wary of the ice.

_Two._

I leapt back, switching my magazine out for one filled with Lightning Dust rounds in a fluid, practiced motion before I landed.

Neptune still hadn’t moved. I had expected him to follow so I could draw him into the middle of the blooms of ice, but where he was would work.

_Three._

The discs of fire Dust erupted in a burst of heat that shattered each area of ice into frozen shrapnel, sent out a wave of steam, and created a puddle that covered the floor around Neptune.

My trap was ready, but as I raised my gun toward the puddle, the puddle itself rose toward Neptune. 

A high-pitched “Eep!” was all I heard before Neptune _bolted_ faster than anyone I had seen except for Ruby using her Semblance.

“That was a good move, ha ha,” Neptune yelled from the top row of the audience bleachers on the other side of the room, trying to cover fear with fake confidence. 

“Dude!” Sun shouted. “I’ve seen morning dew that was wetter than that puddle! Come on, man!” 

Neptune’s shoes were still in the puddle; he had somehow jumped out of them.

“Why’d you leave your shoes behind?” Sun asked.

“Didn’t want to get my socks wet, no one likes wet socks!” Neptune stated quickly, obviously covering for nerves.

“If you bought them, then I know they’re super water resistant! They aren’t even wet anymore!”

“Always good to be safe!”

“Um, are we going to continue?” I asked hesitantly.

“What are you talking about? We never stopped, babe. Just, uh, changing my position, gaining higher ground… working the field? Yeah, those,” Neptune said.

I turned to Sun. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“He’s afraid of water,” he said, straight-faced.

“I am not!”

I blinked slowly, looking at Neptune, to Sun, then to Neptune’s empty shoes. 

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. He was named after a god of the ocean and had _literally_ jumped out of his shoes in fear of a puddle. 

“Neptune, I get it, but seriously—”

“I think we better stop for now, Taylor, Sun’s spouting stories that are _obviously_ crazy. Isn’t. That. Right. Sun?” Neptune urged Sun to agree through gritted teeth.

Sun sighed and shrugged. “Eh, guess we’ll pick this up later, sergeant,” he said, while his smile said ‘what can you do’.

“Well, thanks anyway. I needed”—I pointed between Neptune’s shoes and him—“that.” 

We waved our goodbyes and I was left with a small smile that wouldn’t leave. It was amazing how one bit of fun could hang on when the world was dragging everything down. 

I went back to CFVY’s room, nodded at Coco as she looked over a huge case of Dust ammo, hummed at Fox when he waved, and got ready for bed. 

While Salem was an issue I immediately turned my mind away from, the peppy AI was one I thought I could focus on now for a bit. Not using any of the energy I finally had to be productive would be a waste.

My bugs spread throughout Beacon, focusing on any Atlas staff and on the dorms of the students coming in from other kingdoms, since I wasn’t sure which teams were Atlas’s, all to see if anyone talked about the robotic girl.

The chance was small since the girl’s state was likely top-secret, but I hoped I would be lucky. 

I found nothing when I searched for any news or research on the subject with my Scroll, so I set it aside.

For over an hour I lay there, eyes clamped shut to focus on what my bugs heard.

That’s when I caught a team discussing a virus they had just received from someone named Watts—the same team that had searched their room in case it was bugged. I herded my swarm into their vents. 

A woman, who I guessed was their leader, explained to the two other members of her team that they had what they needed to take over the Cross Continent Transmit System tower in Vale. 

My eyes shot open, boggled at the idea.

If they did that… they could control all communications coming through Vale, and if they shut the system down, the other towers wouldn’t have enough broadcasting power to reach each other.

They could completely isolate the kingdoms from each other. No way to call for help from allies and neighbors, or hear one either.

The team continued their talk, smug and assured in their plan. They needed to engineer a distraction to infiltrate the tower and download their virus into it, but it had to be after the CCTS’s quarterly system scan had finished so they would have control during the tournament.

Ozpin and Ironwood must have been right about Salem having agents in the area, because I had just found them. 

**Chapter 25 End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, and TheBiggerFish.
> 
> And a thank you to Orbital Oracle for fixing some of my lore stuff.
> 
> Lots of revelations going around, but that’s really just the consequence of Taylor’s ability to hear/scout with her bugs and all these parties converging. 
> 
> Anyway, Neptune’s Semblance is hydrokinesis, but he almost drowned himself and his brother, thus the phobia. 
> 
> Soooo, I wrote out the first part about Taylor remembering being on a boat, but loremaster Juff pointed out that Taylor specifically talks about not remembering being on a boat in Worm 12.2. That said, we both agreed that it wasn’t really a big thing, so I decided to leave it. Maybe I’ll come back and switch it up, but honestly… probably not. 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long. Work suddenly sent me around the country a bit to clean up some shit. So, that was about 2 weeks of not writing. Then, I got sick, and I was like, “Did I fucking get Covid, again?!” Turns out, no, I was just regular sick, so I could still work if I confined myself to my office and only talk with others through email, which I did. I had no ability to write during that time.
> 
> I’ve been writing this fic on a now 8 year-old laptop that has been slowly dying for a while now (it took like 10 solid minutes to boot up to the login screen, and another few for it to let me type in my password and stuff. It’s been… fun). So, I had decided to build a pc. So, that took some time as well. Got a mechanical keyboard and now I’m typing like clackclackclack, it's amazing. It makes me want to type. Fuck, I've played some typing games of all things on top of writing more.
> 
> That all said, I’ve made like, zero progress on Chapter 22. I have the whole thing outlined but haven’t actually written any of the scenes. So, maybe expect a monthly release kinda thing, I don’t know. Shorter chapter too, but 22 may be long. 
> 
> Episode 2 of RoaW Chibi (This fic's version of RWBY Chibi) will be out soon though.


End file.
